


Of Ghouls and Volleyball

by SerialCereal



Category: Haikyuu!!, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: 3000+ Word Chapters, Alternate Universe - Tokyo Ghoul, Asexuality, But like in later chapters, CCG Kageyama (In Training), CCG Kitagawa Daiichi/Aobajosai, F/F, Ghoul Hinata, Ghoul Karasuno, Ghoul Nekoma, Gore, Half-Ghoul Kageyama, Half-Ghoul Yachi, I lied they are all ghouls, KageHina - Freeform, M/M, Slow Updates, Tokyo Ghoul AU, Ukaku Ghoul Hinata, also nearly the whole of karasuno team is ghouls, except kageyama, human kageyama, long updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-19 17:45:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4755377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerialCereal/pseuds/SerialCereal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When did it all start?</p><p>He was cursed from the start, maybe.</p><p>The moment he was born into this fucked up world, he was cursed.</p><p>He just seemed to be the desire of all the bad luck and fucked up-ery of  this world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I am white, like the whitest person you will ever meet. So the school functions like that of a western school instead of a Japanese school, as I don't know how they function and fear I will just mess everything up.
> 
> DISCLAIMER 2: This is both un-edited and un-beta'd, fresh off the slab.
> 
> Keep this in mind when reading.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobio doesn't want to go to school.

When did it all start?

That's right, it started when Tobio had been told to attend his high school classes and a club because he was, as Oikawa put it, dumb. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he tried to reason with his partner. Yutaro Kindaichi, who had been the one to suggest he attend class normally. With the help of one Akira Kunimi, they managed to convince the Head Boss of the Aobajosai Unit to do this.

Tobio didn't know the details, but being two trusted and rather skilled members, they got Nobuteru Irihata - the previously mentioned Boss - to send Tobio to a school. Irihata had said it was because he needed to learn to be "a team player," and also work on his intellect a bit, figuring the best way to do that would be to send Tobio to a high school to attend classes. Two birds with one stone.

Tobio would attend classes, learning intellectually, and join a club so he could practice to not be such a solo hunter. As Irihata had said, "You're very skilled, but you need to learn to work with others. Who knows- a group of ghouls could attack or one ghoul who you cannot handle." Tobio had thought that was silly, he was one of the best trainees, often referred to as a "genius."

Next Toru Oikawa, who Tobio begrudgingly admitted was better than him. Mostly because of him actually being able to coordinate with others, but Tobio didn't need to if he could do it all on his own. He had never gotten along with others to begin with, and he didn't need to. Forcing him to attend high school would only cut in on the time he could be using to train. 

Tobio walked across the hard, dusty, ground of the empty school. Of course, it was only empty because classes were currently going on. It was only a month since school started, so it was still pretty early. He wandered into the school, gazing at the papers in his hand. Class 1-3... okay.

He looked into each class he walked by, which was only two. As he walked past the first one he caught sight of a unmissable mop of bright brown hair which caused him to hesitate from walking. As if sensing someone looking at him, the orange-haired boy looked up: directly at Tobio. Tobio flinched, trying not to get caught up staring at the cute freckles on the boys face as he speed-walked off. His speed-walk turning into a jog as he realized what he had just thought. Not cute, nope. I am not here for romance!

He slowed and back-tracked when he saw the numbers "1-3" painted on a slab of polished wood right beside a door. He peered in through the closed door, seeing an abandon classroom and frowning. The class was probably at gym, right? Maybe they went to the schools library for a moment. That's all.

Frowning, Tobio walked away from the locked door and looked down the hall. He couldn't go back that way, not after he awkwardly ran from that boy. Freckles could end up seeing him again, and that would be incredibly awkward. But he needed to get past, to look for his class. No way was he waiting by the classroom door for his teacher to return. With a deep breath, Tobio began to swiftly and stiffly speed-walk past the classroom. He felt eyes burning on him as he walked by, but didn't dare to return the look.

Starting with the gym he remembered passing by, he hurried in a safe speed-jog type walk. Walking fast enough its like a slow jog, but slow enough its like a speed-walk. He quickly reached the gym, walking past the doors and peering in. It was completely and utterly empty. With a frown, he decided to check the library next. It shouldn't be too hard to find. Continuing on his treasure hunt, he wandered around the first floor. After failing to find the library he decided to check the second floor, but once again was unable to find a library.

Reaching the top floor, he found the polished wood with a white 'LIBRARY' painted on it. Relief washed over Tobio as he peered into the door, but that relief turned into disappointment when he didn't see his teacher. Having met his teacher pre-hand, he knew exactly what the woman looked like. Even after a few moments, he could tell she was strict.

Her hair had been in a bun that was pulled back so tightly Tobio could swear her eyes were bulging behind those thin-framed square glasses. She had an odd mole just above her lip that was rather large, and a fairly large nose. Other than that, he could admit, she was fairly attractive. However, he could also tell that because of her large nose, strict attitude, and mole she was probably the teacher no one liked and called 'Witch'.

Tobio could never be sure though, but he was pretty observant when it came to detecting things. Rather than it being a natural ability, though, he had to work to achieve it. He worked to achieve everything. His skills and keen eye were etched into his brain so precisely that they would never leave his bones. His skills were ingrained into his bones- like another part of himself. Most of the time, Tobio couldn't stop himself from keeping an observant eye on everything. It was always a 85% chance he was right, the other 10% being where he was slightly wrong and the 5% when he was completely wrong.

Scooting away from the empty library with a sigh, he headed back toward the stairs. They weren't anywhere, the only thing he could do was sit by the door and wait for them to get back. With a bitter sigh he grumpily stomped his way, as quietly as stomping could possibly be as to not draw attention, down the stairs. He fiddled with his papers as he walked, re-reading them to make sure he wasn't delusional.

It had indeed been physical education first, but right after that it was maths. He was only a couple hours late, tops. (Okay, maybe a couple hours and 25 minutes now. But hey, that's only because he couldn't find the school and ended up getting lost- then when he finally did find the school his class wasn't even here...) He paused, gazing over the papers. (OKAY! Maybe he had also stopped by a coffee shop and bought as much as he could with the little money he had, but hey. No one can say no to those savory pastries and that milky coffee.) He groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose and lifting his head to the sky.

Having not been paying attention, he stumbled a bit on the last step. Luckily, because of his well-toned reflexes he managed to catch himself. But it wasn't until after he fell to the ground and nearly smashed his nose on the windowsill on the way down. Hoisting himself up to a sitting position, he began to begrudgingly gather the scattered papers, stopping on a folded up piece caught his eye. Pausing before opening it, Tobio skimmed over it. Ah that was right, is was a reminder from Irihata for Tobio to meet him straight after school. They had talked about what Tobio would do after school, since he had moved to a (rather shitty) apartment. It was in a pretty nice neighborhood, but one Tobio didn't know at all and though it was close to the school he still ended up getting lost for hours.

But hey, at least he discovered a nice cafe within walking distance.

Irihata had said something about going back to Headquarters, which was actually pretty far from his new residence. Tobio wasn't paying attention, but he didn't think Irihata would have him walk all the way to HQ. It was at least a 20 minute drive, no way in hell he thought Irihata would tell him to do that. Irihata had probably known Tobio wasn't exactly listening, so he had slipped the reminder in with his other papers.

The note also said Hajime Iwaizumi, the partner of a certain Oikawa, was going to pick him up- with aforementioned partner.

Stuffing the note into his pocket so it didn't get mixed up with the other papers, Tobio gathered the rest of the few said papers and stood up briskly with an audible groan. Wandering the neighborhood for an hour and a half, sitting in a (admittedly nice) cafe and wasting all his lunch money there, losing his class, falling on the stairs and nearly breaking his nose, and seeing Oikawa after school? This day kept getting worse and worse- and it wasn't even over. Tobio directed his attention back to the papers as his usual frown deepened into a scowl. The paper on the top was a list of the clubs.

Computer Club, Basketball Club, Volleyball Club, Baseball Club... Wait- Volleyball.

Tobios eyes darted back to the Volleyball Club, just staring. Wow they actually had a Volleyball team? Tobio remembered loving Volleyball, but then... He shuddered the memory away, not daring to let it seep into his brain. He couldn't relive that.

His eyes went back forward and he lowered his hand and the papers to his side. Volleyball, hmm. He hadn't played in a long time, but he remembers enjoying it in his earlier days before joining the CCG. Just the thought of volleyball made his fingers twitch, the ache for a ball to be in them. He sighed as he shoved the papers in his bag, his hands brushing along the surface of the suitcase stuffed in the bag. It wasn't a normal suitcase, it was his quinque.

He wasn't allowed to use it unless in immediate danger, in the training facility, or with an upper-ranking officer present to supervise him, but he was allowed to carry it with him for protection in-case #1 happened. Tobio reached his arms up over his head in a stretch, yawning. He headed straight to his classroom, forgetting all about Freckles- not that it mattered seeing as the door had been shut.

Awkwardly sitting himself down beside his classroom door, Tobio let out a soft sigh and rested his head on his knees. He didn't focus on anything in particular, just let his tiredness overtake him. He thought about sleeping for a bit, but quickly decided against it and forced his eyes open. He stared ahead, waiting. He heard the distant sound of a clock ticking away, and assumed it was from inside the classroom. There was probably a clock right near the wall. Tobio sighed heavily, bored out of his mind, and regretted coming here instantly. There was nothing to do but wait, so he decided to plan out his day, so that no mishaps happened. No more than there already was, at least.

After class, he made note, to hang out around the tree he saw close to the gym- it didn't seem like the type of place many people would go. There were also stone benches, which would be far more crowded most likely, and they were at the other side of the school. He'd rather avoid making friends, they'd be a bother and would want him to hang out outside of school. He has training to do, and less time to do it. He needs all the spare time he can get to keep up with the usual regiment. With a huff he closed his eyes, letting himself get engulfed in his thoughts.

Then, after lunch, he would attend the rest of his classes smoothly before finally being able to look at the clubs and club rooms. He had his heart set on volleyball, but he still needed to get to know the school and this was one of the best ways. It shouldn't be too hard to avoid being thrown into more hell. Oh was he wrong. The first problem had been immediately after finishing his thoughts, Tobio fell asleep. He awoke to the annoyingly loud lunch bell, jolting himself up in surprise (and not fear). Rubbing his eyes wildly, he scrambled to get up as students began filing out of their classrooms. Brushing off his pants, he looked forward and nearly screamed at the sudden appearance of a familiar orange-haired, freckle-faced boy who was surprisingly short. "Are you the new transfer student?!" He asked, grinning wildly with curiosity. Tobio scowled, slowly nodding.

This was not part of the plan, THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN.

"If you're waiting for Class 1-3, they are actually out on a field trip." He motioned to the door behind Tobio, and Tobio felt his cheeks heat up as he scrambled to get into his bag- pulling out the paper.

"B-But it says..." Tobio pointed, glaring fiercely at the paper that had apparently been misprinted. Freckles leaned over the paper, looking at it upside down.

"Oh, this is last months schedule." He pointed to the date, which Tobio hadn't even thought to look at. He flinched as it said September, not October. Tobio narrowed his eyes at the tiny little pen-drawn star beside the 'S,' that he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been so harshly glaring at the paper. His glare darkened, making Freckles visibly shudder and step back, his face twisted with fear.

"How dare he!" Tobio grumbled under his breath, remembering it had been Oikawa who had given him the papers. Judging by how nicely he had been acting, Tobio should have known something was up. Clutching the papers tightly in his hand and crushing them, he tensed and thought of all the ways to kill his sempai. How was he supposed to do anything when his class wasn't even here- and why the fucking hell did Irihata tell him to come here on a day that he clearly wouldn't be able to do anything on.

It's not like he had a permission slip, besides he'd need to get it signed anyway. So he'd be stuck here regardless, but instead of the familiar classroom he had been in a week ago he would be in an unfamiliar classroom with an unfamiliar teacher! He let out a growl, relaxing himself. "Tha-" He began to speak, looking back at Freckles, but he was no where in sight.

Oh well, right now he had more important things to do.

Stuffing papers back in his bag, he began heading to the tree and shuffling in his bag. He pulled out his cell phone, skimming through the contacts. He had a list of all the CCG members who are in his division, the Aobajosai Unit. He flicked down to Sadayuki Mizoguchi, the second in command next to Irihata. Tobio was told to never, ever, contact Irihata unless it was an emergency. He clicked Mizoguchi's name, calling him.

He had been the one to set up Tobio in the school, doing almost everything including getting him an apartment and giving him a ride to it. He would also have been the one who had given Tobio the papers, if Oikawa hadn't snatched the opportunity, most likely offering to take the papers to Tobio but ending up giving him the wrong set. (On purpose, that... Urgh!)

"Hello, Kageyama?" Mizoguchi spoke after the ringing stopped.

"Mizoguchi, sir, I have the wrong papers."

"You do?"

"Yes- this is the schedule for last month!" He grumbled, pulling his bag off and setting it beside him so he could lay down. "Also my class apparently went on a field trip today."

"That's not good... We confirmed they would be there when you arrived." Tobio heard the shuffling of paper. "I have a copy of what Oikawa gave you- it seems to be all proper..."

"About that, I believe Oikawa replaced the papers on my end when he gave them to me." There was a moment of silence, before Mizoguchi sighed.

"Well, you're already there. Why did it take you so long to call?"

"I..." Tobio frowned, not wanting to admit he had actually gotten lost and then fell asleep. "I was waiting to see if they were going to return. I thought they were in gym or something." It wasn't a lie.

"I see, next time call quicker. I could have gotten Kindaiichi to pick you up- he's actually pretty close."

"Hm?" Tobio sat up, inquiring. "He's on a mission, alone? Without me?"

"No, he has Kunimi with him as a replacement for you, since you were busy after all. But yes, he is investigating a ghoul who has apparently been on a killing spree. I can't tell you much about it right now, but when you get back I'll enlighten you about it." He nodded, before remembering it was a call.

"R-Right. Mind if I ask how close...?"

"Not very, you have nothing to worry about. The last sighting was last night, keep your eyes open for it, though." Not very? But Kindaiichi was close enough to drive to Karasuno High to pick him up. As if reading his mind, Mizoguchi spoke again. "About a 25 minute drive from the sightings to your apartment. Kindaiichi will probably be done investigating soon, so he will come pick you up early once he's done. Until then, just hang around. Maybe check out some clubs and meet some friends." Tobio held back a groan. "It shouldn't take longer than 40 minutes for Kindaiichi and Kunimi to finish up and get over there."

With a final "Goodbye" and a "Thank you," Tobio ended the call and laid back down. He just needed to entertain himself for 40 minutes. Then he would be driven back to HQ, they would clear everything up and give him his modified schedule- for the Unit, not the school - before he would return to his apartment. No sweat.

The second problem he had, was finding where the clubs were. He knew the Volleyball club would be in the gym, but that's if they were even practicing. For all Tobio knew, they wouldn't be. Plus it was lunch, so they most likely weren't practicing. With a heavy sigh, Tobio rubbed the back of his neck and hauled his bag over his shoulder. He could go to the office and save himself from running around, wasting time. 

Deciding on that, he quickened his pace to the principals office- not like he had anything to eat anyway even if he wasn't still full from his earlier... Small snack from earlier. He peered into the room, nodding to the women at the front desk. Tobio took notice of her blonde hair that was pulled into a loose ponytail, and the makeup-less face (except for some mascara and lipstick). He was easily able to tell she was laid back and kind, but also pretty reliable.

"Hello!"

"H-Hello... Do you know where I can register for a club?"

"Ah! You're the new transfer student, Kageyama Tobio, correct?" He nodded awkwardly, stiff as he stood in-front of her. "I remember you, and you've come to the right place. She scooted her chair back a few feet, reaching and pulling own a drawer. "What club are you looking to join?" She hummed, flipping through the files in it before pulling out a thick one that had big, black letters at the top corner.

"Volly-Volleyball." Tobio lowered his sight, staring at a particularly interesting pen that sat on her desk.

"Hmm~ Hmm~" She hummed away, flipping through the file for a moment. "Ah!" She stopped on a page, flipping back. She put her finger between the pages, flipping back to the front of the file and pulling out a piece of paper in the front and setting it on the counter. "Here, fill this out." 

She turned the paper to face Tobio and he skimmed over it. Just basic stuff, class, name, age, club, reason for joining, and more small things like that. At the bottom was two blank lines, one asking for his own signature and the other for a parent or guardians. He watched the lady's long fingernails tap the blank space, explaining the obvious. "Just get your Mum or Dad to sign here." She assumed he had both or at least one, which made Tobio cringe, internally of course.

With a nod he picked up the paper. The women reached to a bright pink sticky-note beside her, pulling it off the stack and placing it where her finger was. She reached for the pen Tobio had been staring at and began to scribble on the note. Kageyama caught sight of his name, before he turned and shuffled out the door.

"Oh, Kageyama!" She called, making him stiffen. Was she not done? Should he have stayed longer? But she hadn't been saying anything- "Enjoy your stay here at Karasuno High! I know it can be hard transferring to a new school!" She waved slightly, and Tobio nodded with a slight bow.

"T-Thank you." A warm smile parted on her lips.

"If you need anything, ask!" He heard as he left, hurrying down the hall back outside. He slowed his jog-walk as he neared the front of the school. That wasn't so hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WORDCOUNT: 3519


	2. Chapter 2

        Tobio leaned against the stone fence-wall that surrounded the school, preventing students from leaving or entering through anywhere except the front gates. He tapped his foot impatiently, eyes focused on the phone in his hand. Using his thumb, he scrolled through the pages of organized apps.  
  
One page for social medias such as his Grumblr, Whitter, and Wetube- the ones he uses the most. The rest were collecting dust, as he never felt any need to use them. With Grumblr, he could scroll through the endless reblogged hilarity when he's not doing anything. With Whitter, he could be keeping up on most major events that happen. With Wetube, if Grumblr failed, he could keep himself amused when he's bored.  
  
There was another page, full of games and such he would usually ignore unless he had no access to internet. He wasn't an 'App' type of person, but it's not like it hurts to have some for emergency. Besides, he isn't using the storage space for anything other than pictures he takes of a few crime scenes or suspicious things. But even then that is only when he doesn't have a better camera: like when he's on the fly.  
  
The full page of apps have come in handy right now- able to entertain Tobio for 15 of the 40 minutes before he got bored again. The few times he has played the apps, he has beaten tons of them. And by beaten he means raged quit and vowed to never play again. Well, there is  _one_  app he's beaten. A 'find-the-hidden-objects'-esc game. He hasn't beaten the full game, yet, but he did run out of in-game energy.  
  
After passing the pages an endless amount of time, as if the apps would change or the 'X' over his wifi bar would disappear. It's not that Karasuno  _didn't_  have wifi, and if he asked he would probably get the pass-code. It's just, well to put it simply... He'd rather die than go back to the office to awkwardly ask for the passcode.  
  
After going there to get the club application, he should have gotten the pass-code then. It just hadn't occurred, but now it was too late. If he went in there now, the woman would probably judge him for not thinking of it the first time he was there. He shook his head, not bothering to think about it as he slid to the ground. He hugged his bag close to his chest as he stuffed his phone in his pocket, finally deciding that the apps would not magically change. Unfortunately.  
  
Tobio closed his eyes, hoping that not watching anything will make the world spin faster.  
  
 "C'mon, Suga! There's an area over here!" A familiar, annoyingly loud, voice shouted. Tobio opened his eyes, seeing Freckles (Who he realized he could have gotten the name of and instantly regretted it. Why did the world curse him?) and another boy. The other boy had silver hair and a small mole under his warm brown eyes. The way his face parted in a soft smile made Tobio associate him with a "homey" feel. Dubbing him as Suga, as Freckles had called him, Tobio watched as the two hurried to the tree he had been laying under previously.  
  
 "Coming, coming. Slow down a bit." Suga laughed lightly as he followed the bouncing freckle-faced boy, soon leaving Tobios earshot. He watched the two out of the corner of his eye as Suga caught the volleyball Freckles tossed them.   
  
The two fell into a steady rhythm of passing and receiving that was sometimes broken by Freckles failing to receive the ball. Tobio found himself watching the two for a short while, couldn't have been longer than 10 minutes, before someone walked up to them. It was a big guy, tanner than Freckles who was pretty tan already. He had short dark brown hair and was about the same height as Suga. The two chatted for a moment before Suga nodded, passing Freckles the ball and waving as he headed off with the other guy, leaving Freckles there frowning.  
  
Tobio probably should have looked away right then, but he didn't. He blamed his staring being sensed when Freckles suddenly made eye-contact with him and waved. Stiffening, Tobio lifted his hand up and before he knew it he was giving a short wave. Freckles must have taken this as an invitation to run over, because that's just what he did.  
  
 "Hey! You're still here? I thought you would have left!" He grinned wildly as he neared Tobio, and Tobio adverted his eyes.  
  
 "I'm waiting for my ride, dummy." Tobio growled hostilely and making Freckles pout a bit, but he wasn't deterred just yet.  
  
 "I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Hinata Shouyou!" He gave a thumbs up, using his other arm to tuck the volleyball on his waist. "You can call me Shouyou!"  
  
 "Hello, Hinata." Tobio ignored him, earning the very subtle shrug from Hinata. Well, at least he got his name. "I'm Kageyama Tobio." Tobio introduced himself, looking up at Hinata. He saw a piece of jam on the boys cheek, and pointed to the place it was on his own cheek. Hinata got the hint, rubbing it away quickly with a faint dust of pink on his face.  
  
 "Thanks! Can I call you Tobio?" He asked after he was done, the grin back on his face. Tobio stared at him for a long moment, sighing.  
  
 "No." Tobio responded sternly, a glare hardening on his face. This caused Hinata to flinch and laugh awkwardly as silence fell between them, one that Tobio refused to break as he stared intently at a very interesting patch of grass that had a dying dandelion in the center of it. He could see Hinata rocking back and forth on his feet, holding the volleyball between his hands.  
  
 "Soo..." Hinata began. "What do you like to do?" He asked, a friendly smile plastered on his face.  _That's a good question._  He's only ever trained since he was young, and before training it was only volleyball...  
  
 "Volleyball-" He was confused on who said that, blinking in shock when he realized it was himself. "I mean, I used to play volleyball." Tobio said, eyes focusing on the ball in Hinatas hand. This made the boy beam, rays of literal sunshine blasting off his face and blinding Tobio.  
  
 "Really? I love volleyball! What position did you play?" He asked, crouching down with a slight bounce.  
  
 "S-Setter." Tobio said, pressing himself against the stone wall behind him as he searched for other places his eyes could rest on, but they didn't seem to decide on any one place and instead choose to dart around wildly.  
  
 "Perfect! I'm a spiker!" He said, setting the ball on the ground to hit an imaginary ball with his hand. "Can you toss to me?! I asked Suga, but he told me after school! I wanna spike no~w!" Hinata whined, making Tobio sigh and recollect himself.  
  
 "You? A spiker?"  _But you're so short..._ As if reading his thoughts, Hinata glared in a pout.  
  
 "I know, I'm short! I get it! But-" He leaped to his feet, clenching his fists in front of himself. "-I can jump!" He proclaimed boldly, making Tobio narrow his eyes a bit.  
  
 "Uh... Huh..." Tobio said quietly, droning out Hinatas chatter, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone to check the time. 12: 28 pm. Kindaichi will be here any minute, likely, and lunch will be over as well. As if on cue, there was a loud car horn, making Hinata shut up and look. Tobio, without needing to look, stood up.  
  
 "Oi! Kageyama! Hurry up!" That familiar voice called loudly from the car, making Tobio sigh and turn to walk to the gates entrance.  
  
 "Oh, Bye, Kageyama!" Hinata waved, but didn't get a response back. Tobio heard Hinata huff. "Jerk." Shoving his hands deep within his pockets, he looked at the sleek black car as he neared it. Kindaichi was leaning out the window slightly, but focused on talking to Kunimi in the seat next to him.  
  
 "Eh, I don't know. But I seriously doubt the fucker can get from here to there overnight- every night." Kindaichi was saying, before took notice of Kageyama as he opened the backseat door. "Finally, lets go." He sat back in his seat as Kageyama shuffled in his seat. Before he even got to close the door, the car was moving forward slowly. With a slam he shut the door, pulling the seatbelt over his shoulder.  
  
 "How did the mission go?" Kageyama asked offhandedly.  
  
 "Fine."  
  
 "Kindaichi doesn't agree, but I believe the ghoul responsible isn't actually from that area." Kunimi said, looking back at Tobio. When asked, he looked forward again. "I can't be certain, but these patterns remind me of a ghoul Mizoguchi mentioned-" He rubbed his neck, as if thinking back and trying to remember. "Back when he was just a trainee. There was apparently a ghoul who would always take their prey to high places to eat.   
  
Such as a lamp-post. The first time he tried to track it, the prey had been hung from a lamp-post and had it's stomach cleaned out completely. This had been a trend, so I don't think it was a very hungry ghoul. He said someone- I forget who- speculated the ghoul was feeding someone else. It just didn't seem like the organs and such had been eaten, but rather torn out."  
"The same thing happened with the corpse we investigated- except it was here."  
  
 Tobio looked out the window as he caught on. "The ghoul had probably been feeding its kid, right?" Kunimi nodded. "Then that ghoul probably also taught it's children how to hunt so the traits passed on?" Tobio wasn't exactly convinced by this part.  
  
 "Well, no. It stopped happening- for a long time. I think the kid had grown up, old enough to not needing to bed fed." Kunimi paused. "But it suddenly started again, I have two theories." Tobio didn't respond, urging him to continue. "One, the ghoul had another kid and is currently hunting again to feed that one. Or two, the ghouls kid never actually existed at that time." This peaked Tobios curiosity, leaning forward to listen.  
  
 "But it was definitely feeding something."  
  
 "Or-" Kunimi cut in. "It was preparing to feed something." He looked over his shoulder at Tobio. "Its possible the ghoul was planning on having a kid so it stocked up on food for the future. I don't know anything about ghouls having kids, and this might be wrong, but they could also get weaker from birth. Maybe the ghoul knew this, stocked up, got knocked up, and just fed itself and its kid with that meat. I doubt this one, since those weird attacks only lasted 6 months- probably not long enough to last until the kid could fully hunt on its own." He shrugged with a sigh. "And there were no weird attacks afterword- but then again I don't know much about ghouls and breeding so..." He trailed off.  
  
Tobio leaned back, thinking with closed eyes. Strange attacks that suggested the ghoul was feeding something, lasting for 6 months... Tobio opened his eyes, shrugging. "I think the ghoul, probably girl I guess, had another kid." He admitted, making Kunimi nod. "But that still doesn't explain why you think the ghoul lives here- its so far away from the sightings and there is no guarantee they stayed. It'd make more sense to move, after all."  
  
Tobio couldn't see it, but he could bet 10 bucks Kindaichi rolled his eyes.  
  
 "Wow, being the genius you are I'm surprised you don't know that ghouls are territorial. It's not that easy to just get up and move to a new area." Tobio glared death at the driver, almost not noticing Kunimi placing his hand on Kindaichis shoulder to shush him.  
  
 "Yeah, That's it." Kunimi stated. "They would probably be better off just staying where they are than trying to go somewhere else." Tobio frowned, not satisfied. "Oh. I forgot to say, it doesn't seem to be the ghoul from before but rather her child." He said, making Tobios eyes drift to him in confusion. "Someone saw it, a scrawny thing, as they said, but it was fast."   
  
He said, putting a finger up and tracing something in the air. "They saw it jumping off with a sac. It's kagune was that of a birds wing." Tobio realized Kunimi was tracing wings. "It had been dark, but they said the ghouls wings were like oil- sucking up all the light." He looked over his shoulder. "Completely and utterly black. Like a void." He lowered his hand. "The kagune doesn't fit the type the old ghoul had, hers had been more colorful. Plus, they were softer."  
  
 "By that, he means the witness described the ghouls wings as being sharp and pointy- like a wing of needles. But in the files, the other ghoul had been described to have a more 'smokey' feeling to it." Kindaichi explained. "They were also smaller..."  
  
 "So we can assume its her kid?" Tobio asked, making Kindaichi nod.  
  
 "Definitely. Not only that, but the corpses weren't hung very well. Most of the victims wore hoods and were hung by it, or lazily tossed over in a way they wouldn't fall, whereas the original ghoul always used rope to properly hang them. Almost like a form of respect, in some delusional way. Plus the way the victims were torn open was far messier, scavenged really cruelly. Vulture was more, I guess, delicate and would always leave the bodies in a good enough condition to be in an open casket funeral." Kunimi sighed. "I think that she really believed she was being respectful in that way... But the new ghoul doesn't care at all. It's almost like it's just trying to imitate it's mothers work, but only saw that she took whats inside when she brought it for the kid to eat. The corpse also looked like the ghoul had been eating it too- half its face was gone and all the meat on its arms. This happened for all of them. But I don't know why it's the one hunting and not her..."

  
 "Maybe shes sick?" Kunimi spoke up, making Kindaichi sigh.  
  
 "I already told you- I don't think that's possible."  
  
 "Maybe shes dead?" This made the car go silent, and for a moment Tobio was baffled that he managed to, once again, say something without meaning to.  
  
 "That is a possibility, but it doesn't explain why the kid is hunting like that." Kunimi shrugged.  
  
 "You didn't tell me their names."  
  
 "Oh! Right." Kunimi realized. "The mother ghoul, I believe, was called Vulture." Kunimi looked at Kindaichi for confirmation, and the driver nodded without taking his eyes off the road. "And the name of the new ghoul is called Byrd."  
  
 "Byrd?" Kageyama echoed.  _What kind of name is that?_  
  
 "Be happy, Oikawa suggested naming it Spike."  _What is it? A dog?_  Tobio dropped the name thing, not bothering to care enough.  
  
 "Anyway, It could be Magpie died and her kid- Byrd- is the one who's doing these hunts."  
  
 "Yeah, but why." Kindaichi growled, making Tobio pause to think.  
  
 "Byrd could be saving up for some reason," Tobios suggestion made Kunimi look at him with a frown. "Like, I don't know... Byrd could be saving up because it is going to be too busy to hunt in the future." He shrugged. "I don't know." He found himself repeating, looking out the window awkwardly.  
  
 "That's... Possible." Kunimi nodded. "Theres also another reason I believe Byrd lives here." Tobio's eyes darted to Kunimi, but he kept his head pointed to the window. "Its likely Vulture is, or was, apart of the ghoul gang that lives around here- The Crows." He began.  
  
 "Do you mean The Fallen Crows?" Tobio remembered learning a little about it- it was apparently a rather small gang of ghouls that claimed this area. But since they were so small not much was known, at least not of the modern group. Years ago it had really been a dangerous and chaotic group, one of the most dangerous gangs in fact. But over the years it had sunk into the shadows, probably from the leader dying. There were some rumors of what happened, such as the new successor just not caring enough to properly command the group, the new leader being a peaceful and nice ghoul was also another one. There was also the rumor, though one of the less common ones, that told about how there was no leader and the gang was just completely lost on what to do.  
  
 "Yes, it could be that since Vulture was in the gang her kid would be too." Kunimi proposed. "And even if she was dead, that would still leave the kid in the gang. I'm not too sure, though."  
  
 "Byrd might be lost." Tobio muttered, not actually intended anyone to hear it. But, of course, Kunimi had heard.  
  
 "What do you mean?"  
  
 "I mean, like, it's mother might be dead. Right? So, it could be in a state of panic since this is it's first time being all alone. It might not know what to do, so it could be doing what it's mother did." He gave a large shrug and leaned back in his seat. "As a way to cope, or something."  
  
 "Hmm." The conversation seemed to be done, and Tobio whipped out his phone. Maybe the apps had changed?  
  
 Nope. No, they didn't. With a heavy sigh, he choose one of the more interesting-looking apps and got lost in the game, kind of. He was more focused on this "Byrd" ghoul. The biggest questions he had were  _Where is Vulture? Why is Byrd attacking like that_? with just a hint of  _What is it doing?_  Just in general. Tobio found himself losing the game, only realizing it when the phone vibrated in his hand- telling him he lost. He stared at the phone's 'RETRY?' and 'QUIT!' buttons, a scowl on his face. Byrd was laced with mysteries, and Tobio wanted to find out. His eyes directed out the window, the passing houses all blurring together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bird Byrd Byrb Birb
> 
> WORDCOUNT: 3043


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \/(oco)\/

        Tobio could remember it vividly. He could remember the way her jaw had been ripped off, tossed aside carelessly, just to get her to stop screaming. He could remember how her screams had been turned into disgusting, incoherent garbles. The way her back arched in pain, nails scraping on the cement for hard it drew blood to her fingertips. He remembered how the figure had hunched over her, that pulsating snake-like kagune whipping violently in joy as they enjoyed their "meal."  
  
Tobio remembered feeling powerless, hiding from the view of the ghoul but able to watch as his mother was violently torn open. He got a front-seat view as the ghoul pulled a long sting of organs out, cackling in mockery as his mother attempted and failed to scream. He wasn't killing her, no. He was enjoy  _every second_  of her torture. He could have cried, but didn't. He just watched, eyes and cheeks dry save of the blood that had managed to splash through the crack of the wardrobe door, not that it was much of a surprise with how much blood was scattered around the room.  
  
He could remember, the narrow blue eyes that usually were in a stern glare as she told him to clean his room were now huge in a mix of pain and fear, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. The salty water wash her black mascara and navy eye shadow down her face, washing right through the splatter of blood which was covering nearly her whole upper face. The red would be covering her lower face, had it actually been there, too.  
  
Those fearful dark blue eyes making contact with the scared matching ones of Tobio, in such a state of shock he couldn't even cry. He could remember the way her eyes slowly began to close as she finally let go of her life.  
  
It was only when the CCG had burst into the room, quinques lashing at the full ghoul when he burst into tears. He remembers as the ghoul was chased away, someone opened the closet he was in. It had been Irihata- he had been younger at the time and therefore not the Boss of the Aoba Unit. Tobio could remember Irihata had picked him up, hurrying out of the house with him.  
  
From that point on, it was a bit of a blur. But Tobio could remember feeling like he could have helped in some way, that he could have prevented his parents death. From that moment on he vowed to be strong when he was older- as strong as humanly possible to protect his loved ones.  
  
"We're here." Tobio opened his eyes, instinctively they darted to his reflection in the window. His face was emotionless, but he had a bit of a cold sweat. Clenching his fists he shook his head, focusing back out the window. A building loomed over the car, mainly a dull white color, with accents and such of a light, teal such as around the large windows and the deep chocolate-brown door. Nothing too eye-catching about it- except for the bold, golden, letters closer to of the tall building. The golden 'C.C.G.' letters sat proudly atop the logo, almost mockingly to any ghoul.  
  
Pulling open his door, he grabbed his things and scooted out of the car. Kunimi was already out, coming around the car to where Kindaichi and Tobio were getting out. Kindaichi took the lead, locking the car as the three walked to the building from the parking lot they had stopped in. They passed the white and teal sign that read 'AOBA. UNIT.' in the golden letters, the odd logo printed at the corner of the sign in a pale silver.  
  
Tobio never really understood the logo- why a bird? And why such a generic bird? Oh well, he didn't have any ideas. Unlike Oikawa- who kept bothering Irihata about every little silly idea he gets. Ranging from wanting to change the company logo into a crown, to complaining about the severe lack of Milk Bread in the break room- also including his attempt in convincing everyone aliens exist. (Which they don't! And no, no matter how many times he tries to say if ghouls can exist so can aliens will change that.)  
  
As soon as the group entered the building, they were greeted by two people chatting across the desk at the front. The one leaning against the desk had short, cropped, brown hair and dark bags under his glaring eyes. He had his suitcase propped up on the desk, chewing on a piece of "Hamima Chicken." The other person was talking to the secratary behind the desk, pushing his swished light brown fringe out of his matching eyes. He held a black suitcase, identical to the other boy, only it had a small silver logo in the corner whereas the other had a golden one. The two seemed to notice the ground as soon as the door swung shut behind them.  
  
 "Welcome back, Kindaichi. Kunimi. Kageyama." The brown-haired boy nodded in greeting, and the blonde grunted through his mouthful of chicken.  
  
 "Hey, Yahaba. Kentaro." Kunimi said, walking past them to the desk to speak with the speak with the woman at the desk.  
  
 "Yo Mad-Dog, Yahaba. How was your mission?" Kindaichi asked, stopping in front of the two. Shigeru Yahaba was a pretty decent member, not extraordinary but far from bad. His partner, Kentaro Kyotani, was very strong on the other hand but was quite the hard-headed tanker which led him to get hurt a lot more than others. But he hadn't lost, even if he had he probably wouldn't change his ways.  
  
Tobio had never really spoke to anyone, besides Kindaichi because he was his partner and Oikawa because the bastard loved to bother Tobio, but did know that Kyotani was nick-named "Mad-Dog," by Oikawa, and that "Mad-Dog" was never satisfied with his victories unless he went all-out with his strength.  
  
 "It went pretty smoothly, at first," Yahaba interrupted Tobios thoughts. "But then another ghoul showed up and Kyotani thought that that would be a brilliant chance to show off his new quinque, since his other broke." He grumbled, eyes glaring at Mad-Dog. Tobio may not speak to them much, but he knew about the hot water between them, it was pretty well-known.  
  
Mad-dog didn't respond, subtly huffing and focusing on finishing his chicken. "What about yours?" Yahaba asked, his impolite tone taking a turn for the better when speaking to Kindaichi.  
  
 "Nothing exciting like that, but we did get some pretty good theories on whats going on over there." He admitted with a shrug.  
  
 "Ah, well we'd better go." Yahaba said with a soft smile and a wave as he turned to walk toward the elevator- shoving Mad-Dog a bit with his shoulder to get his attention. Mad-Dog grumbled harshly, tossing the now-empty bag onto the desk. Shoving his hand in his pocket, using the other, he grabbed his suitcase and walked to the elevator. Tobio looked at Kindaichi, who had now turned to follow Kunimi to the elevator beside the one Mad-Dog and Yahaba had taken.  
  
 "We have to report to Mizoguchi and," The three settled in the small elevator and watched as Kunimi pressed the highest floor- where both Mizoguchi and Irihata's offices were. Mizoguchi was usually not in his office, but did say for people to go there and ring him up. "I heard when Mizoguchi called us to pick you up, that you had some mishaps with your papers?" This caused Kindaichi to snort sarcastically.  
  
 "Wow, the genius Kageyama Tobio  messing up?"  
  
 "Fuck off!" Tobio snapped at him, glaring. "It was out of my control!"  
  
 "Of course, since if it had been  _nothing_  would happen that was outside of your word." Kindaichi hummed, making Tobio's look darken.  
  
 "He said while we do the report you can get that arranged properly." Kunimi sighed, unfazed by the two. Before anyone else could say anything the elevator jolted slightly, causing the two hot-heads to stagger a bit, as the doors opened. Stepping out of the small box, the three walked wordlessly to a dark oak door with printed golden letter that read "S. MIZOGUCHI". Upon entering the room, Tobio glanced around.  
  
It wasn't unfamiliar, but not quite familiar either. In front of a large window was a desk that matched the doors color. Papers, files, and various things littered the desk- nothing silly or anything of the such as Mizoguchi was quite the serious person. On the corner of the desk was a tiny button which Kunimi didn't hesitate to press. A faint chime played steadily throughout the halls putside of the room before it went quiet.  
  
Tobio found his eyes wandering around the rest of the room as Kunimi took off his jacket, settling into the cushioned chair in front of the desk, Kindaichi sitting in the other one. Tobio just stood, as there were no more seats. On both sides of the room were bookshelves that mirrored each other in placement, the books were organized quite well and Tobio took notice of how many 'ghoul' books there were. Beside each of the bookshelves was an additional seat, far more like a sofa-seat for lounging than the chairs Kindaichi and Kunimi were in. Beside the white sofa-seats were small end-tables that had a diamond of delicate looking teal fabric draped over the dark oak table.  
  
The theme of the room - no the whole Aobajosai Unit - was white and teal, with dark oak to contrast. Tobio wasn't fully against it, but it did tire his eyes at times. Luckily, though, the teals and brightness of the whites varied. It mainly hurt his eyes, or at least did, because of how used he was to the dark purple-ish maroons his mother used to decorate the house with, giving it a gothic feel. His room had been mainly navy blues, too. Everything about his life before had been dark, cool, colors and if he had to admit it, Tobio preferred that.  
  
Tobio turned slightly when the door clicked open, looking over his shoulder at Mizoguchi as he entered. The blonde man closed the door behind him, taking off his white and teal trench coat and placing it on the coat hanger. He walked over to the desk, nodding in return to the "hello" Kunimi gave him. Mizoguchi wasted no time in sitting down, shuffling through a drawer full of files.  
  
 "How did it go?" He asked finally, pulling out a file and continuing to flip through that as he used his knee to shut the open drawer.  
  
 "Quite well, we're got some theories on the ghoul and have identified the victim." Kunimi took the papers he was offered, handing two to Kindaichi, as he plucked a pen off Mizoguchis desk and began to scribble down. "It's likely the ghoul who has done this is the kid of Vulture."  
  
 "If I remember correctly- Byrd, right?" Mizoguchi asked, standing and walking to a bookshelf. He grabbed a book after very little time of searching and sat back down, flipping through it.  
  
 "Yes."  
  
 "That slippery bastard." Mizoguchi pushed a few pieces of paper out of the way, placing the book on the table. It was only then Tobio noticed it was more like a coiled-folder than anything, disguised to look like a book on the outside... For whatever reason.  
  
Tobios eyes skimmed the upside-down page. On one side was a sketch of the ghoul, Byrd. The mask was like that of a birds, as any would guess, and covered half its face. It had a hood pulled up over its face, and such a large collar attached to the hoodie that it covered the ghouls mouth, leaving barely any skin showing if at all. Tobio also noticed how there were two silly little black, a darker black than the actual hoodie, devil-like spike-horns coming off the hood.  
  
 How silly.  
                                                                                                                                   _____________  
 _BYRD_ • _UKAKU-TYPE_ • ACTIVE  
KILL COUNT ESTIMATION: 2 TRAINEES, 1 SOLDIER, UNKNOWN CIVILIANS  
Witnesses have claimed for BYRD to be small but very agile and quick.  
                                                                                                                                   _____________  
  
Tobio was surprised by the lack of information on the ghoul, eyes narrowing. As if sensing this, Mizoguchi sighed and spoke up. "Byrd is a pretty new ghoul, as far as I'm aware. Suddenly came out of nowhere, y'know." He closed the book and pushed it to the side. "But he's already killed two of our trainees, severely injuring 1 soldier and killing another. His death count of regular citizens is unspecified as he doesn't seem to have a pattern so we can't known if he's killed a victim or not..." Looking up at Tobio, he seemed to remember why he was here. "Oh, right. You need the correct schedule."  
  
He leaned over to one of the stacks of papers and carefully shuffled a bland file from under the pile, handing it to Tobio. Tobio opened it up, skimming through it. "Everything you need is in there, along with the new schedule, your new training regiment, and a combined one of both, courtesy of the lovely lady in office 2-3." Tobio couldn't remember her name, but she was pretty trustworthy from what he heard. But just to make sure, he skimmed it. "The separate schedules go into more detail about the classes, or in the case of the training one, what you'll need to do and work on. Also how to go about it." He leaned back in his chair, looking back at Kunimi and Kindaichi who seemed to almost be done. "Is that all?"  
  
 Tobio shook his head, looking over the combined schedule. Wake up, train, go to club activities, go to class, lunch, more classes, more club activities, train. Opposed to his usual 'train, train, train' schedule, it wasn't his favourite. He scowled, looking at Mizoguchi. "What about missions?"  
  
 "You can probably do small investigations or missions, things that won't interfere with your schoolwork." Tobio's scowl darkened, eyes following the paper Kunimi and Kindaichi were handing back to Mizoguchi as they stood up to leave. "I... I still want to do missions. I agreed as long as I got to continue working."  
  
 "Ah, no. You actually said as long as you got to continue training." Mizoguchi corrected. "Which is clearly implemented in the schedule." The boss said as he shuffled papers around.  
  
 "Sir," Tobio began, leaning forward with a focused glare. "I  _really_  want to do missions, still." Mizoguchi sighed, looking up at Tobio. "Like, full on missions. Nothing small- that won't help me improve at all!"  
  
 "But this school  _will_  help to improve you. With teamwork." This made Tobio clench his fists around the file in irritation.  
  
 "I don't need teamwork! I can do everything by myself!" He spat, before withdrawing and lowering his head. "Sir." He said in a bitterly-polite tone. Mizoguchi raised an eyebrow at him, frowning sternly.  
  
 "We will talk about putting you back on mission duty once you learn how to actually cooperate with your partner and fellow soldiers." He said firmly, not budging at all. Frustrated but unable to bring himself to argue to Mizoguchi in fear of getting punished, Tobio turned and stalked out of the room, shoving the file in his bag.  
  
It was a short walk to the elevator, Tobio stuck to the wall as it stopped on a floor. He couldn't hold back the quiet groan of frustration when none other than Oikawa entered the elevator, saying goodbyes to Iwaizumi. Tobio attempted to leave the tiny room, not wanting to talk to Oikawa, but the older boy held out his hand to block Tobio as the door shut, trapping him with the unbearable brunette. Alone. Tobio backed onto the wall, glaring at the boy across from him who was smiling. Tobio had to hold back another groan of frustration as Oikawa slammed all the buttons.  
  
 "Hey, Tobio~!" He hummed. "How was school?"  
  
 "Fine." Tobio gritted his teeth together.  
  
 "Heard you can't participate in missions anymore, huh?" He leaned against the wall, right beside the buttons and door.  
  
 "The fuck- How did you know!?" He glared furiously as Oikawa laughed.  
  
 "I didn't- it was just common sense. After all, school lasts all day. It must really suck, I mean you barely get any training and can't do missions- wow." He sighed, shrugging with crossed arms. Tobio looked away, glaring at the wall. "Not to mention who knows how many years you'll have to attend-"  
  
 "It's just to learn teamwork!" Tobio snapped, making Oikawa smile not-so-pleasantly.  
  
 "Oh, Tobio~ Wouldn't it be suspicious if a transfer student suddenly disappears after a few months?" Tobio flinched, knowing Oikawa was kind of right.  
  
 "The company will cover it."  
  
 "With what? The company can only do so much in this case. We're ghoul hunters, not miracle workers. I mean, I would personally not care if I was outed as a CCG trainee, but I guess if everyone knew you wouldn't be able to attend school." Oikawa gave a defeated sigh, but the smile on his face betrayed his sarcastically sad tone. "Having all these people giving you attention, you'd never remain in the shadows for long. It'd only be so long before the whole country knew of Kageyama Tobio - CCG trainee." Tobio flinched. "If the whole country knew, that'd mean the ghouls would know. And if the ghouls know, you can never get the surprise drop on them." He beamed, making Tobio glare.  
  
 "I don't need the element of surprise to win."  
  
 "The company seems to think you do, I mean, aren't they the ones who told you to keep quiet about it? To let the world believe that the child from 10 years ago died, and wasn't taken under the wing of the CCG?" Oikawa hummed, making Tobio clench the strap of his bag tightly to stop himself from snapping back at Oikawa. "They just don't believe in your power, I guess." He sighed, his smile twisting into a worried frown that Tobio knew was fake, but it was still eerily believable. "They want to stick you to Kindaichi because they believe he's strong and can actually protect you, maybe?"  
  
 "As if! I don't need a partner!" Tobio snapped, making Oikawa hold up his hands in defense.  
  
 "I believe you, Tobio. But belief can only go so far- you need to prove it." Oikawa hummed. "Prove you're strong and don't need to stay in school to learn, then you won't waste years of training and mission time just to learn something you don't need." Tobio narrowed his eyes, frustrated beyond belief.  
  
 "I-I will!" He snapped as the doors finally opened on  _his_  stop, as if on cue, and stormed past Oikawa.  
  
 "Okay~" Oikawa hummed before the doors closed again, and Tobio was left standing in the empty lobby. Wait, how was he going to prove himself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WORDCOUNT: 3141


	4. Chapter 4

     The next morning was boring and uneventful as Tobio got ready. Showered, brushed his teeth, and got dressed. All boring, plain, and alone. He sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes as he stood at the door. Maybe not boring, maybe the feeling settled heavily on his shoulders was actually loneliness. Either way, it didn't matter. At this point, he's gotten used to it, but not being in the busy headquarters with a bunch of morons running around was quite jarring.  
  
Not caring for breakfast, Tobio turned and heading out of his crappy two-room apartment, one of which was a tiny kitchen-livingroom combination that couldn't even hold a table. It was quite pitiful, the company could probably afford more for him but he never got around to asking, repeatedly forgetting to.  
  
 This time around, his walk to school was far quicker and would probably more enjoyable if it hadn't been interrupted by a familiar mop of bright orange hair that  _basically_  ran him over on his bike.   
  
 "Watch it, dumbass!" Tobio snapped as he recovered from the shock. Hinata, Tobio believes was his name, rubs his head and looks up with a groan.  
  
 "I totally warned you I was coming!" He retorted, glaring. "Kind of..." he muttered that last bit under his breath, but Tobio definitely caught it.  
  
 "Hah!?" Tobio was about to go off some more but Hinata had scrambled to his feet and pulled up his bike in a hurry, getting out it.  
  
 "Wah! I'm gonna be late!" Hinata yelped, pedaling off and before Tobio could even blink he was gone. With a grumble and angry sigh, he stood up and brushed himself off.  
  
Soon he was at school, making his way past the building and towards the gym. Morning practice was apparently optional, but only to third years, however all the third years also decided to attend for whatever reasons. As soon as he opened the gym doors, it was already pretty rowdy. A bald guy and a short guy both were chatting(shouting) up a storm to a very tall blonde and a freckled black-haired boy. Tobio could make out it was a scolding, he guessed. He didn't pay much attention, as his eyes wandered to the same silver-haired motherly boy, Suga? Next to him was also the same brown-haired boy from before, who Tobio didn't know.  
  
 The boy next to Suga seemed to take notice of Tobio and walked over, Suga trailing behind him.  
  
 "Hello?" He asked, a polite smile on his face.  
  
 "I'm looking for the captain?" Tobio turned to him, stiff as a pencil.  
  
 "That's me, what is it?" He asked, confusion written on his face as Tobio bowed slightly.  
  
 "I have a club application, Kageyama Tobio of Class 1-3." 'Captain,' as Tobio dubbed him for now, blinked owlishly as Tobio handed him his application. Tobio watched as Captain took it, skimming it over.  
  
 "Uhm..." He looked at Suga, frowning with knitted brows as Suga also checked the application. They exchanged a knowing glance at eachother, which confused Tobio. "We don't have any reason to decline him." Captain almost said that regrettably, making Tobio flinch.  
  
  "What's your reason for joining this club?" Suga asked with a nice smile- the one that felt like home. Tobio stood up straight, still stiff.  
  
 "I... " Need to learn team building before I can go back to killing ghouls. "like volleyball." Eh, close enough, It wasn't exactly a lie, anyway. It's not like he had ever strayed away from it, he was just too busy to do it. Suga nodded slowly, putting a hand on his chin and examining Tobio.  
  
 "Give us a minute." Captain said, flashing a quick grin, before pulling Suga just out of earshot and began whispering to him. Tobio waited, feeling awkward, and looked around. He took notice of three more people but didn't get to examine them much further before Captain and Suga returned. "Okay, Kageyama. We will accept your application." He said, arms crossed and Tobio nodded in response.  
  
 "Thank you, sir." He motioned to Suga who was beside him, still.  
  
 "I'm Daichi Sawamura of class 3-4, captain and wing spiker. Just call me Daichi."  
  
 "Sugawara Koushi, class 3-4 also, and vice-captain and the setter. Most call me Suga." Sugawara introduced himself, the pleasant smile never leaving his face. Tobio with a slight bow in greeting.  
  
 "Hello." Daichi guided Tobio to the benches, calling over everyone just as Hinata burst through the doors.  
  
 "Sorry I'm late!" He apologized with a deep bow, Suga waving his hand in dismissal.  
  
 "We already told you, you weren't. Now if you're all ready, we have a new player." He directed the last part to everyone in the gym, looking at all of them. "This is Kageyama Tobio." He introduced, making the room go quiet except for the burst of confusion from Hinata.  
  
 "Uh, You sure about this, Daichi?" The tall one with a bun asked. "N-not that we don't want you!" He waved his hands in an apology to Tobio. "It's just, we don't need any players." He muttered, voice going softer as he continued to talk.  
  
 "YOU?" Hinata pointed accusingly. "Why him?! Daichi are you sane!?" He shouted at his upperclass man with sagging shoulders.  
  
 "Hah? Is there anything wrong with me!?" Tobio demanded, glaring at Hinata who recoiled in fear, diving behind the bald one.  
  
 "Quiet!" Daichi demanded of everyone, and the whole group went quietly instantly. Tobio just had to take one glance at the captain to know why: he looked terrifying, making Tobio shudder. "I've made my decision." He crossed his arms. "You will all have to shape up and behave yourselves- you do it in class you can do it here." His voice was commanding, and Tobio knew no one would talk back to him. The silence remained, before finally someone spoke up. Sugawara.  
  
 "Let's start with the introductions." He offered, and almost right away baldie and the shorty with brown hair spoke up.  
  
 "Nishinoya Yu, class 2-3, and the one and only Libero! You may call me Mr. Nishinoya!" Shorty grinned confidentially.  
  
 "Tanaka Ryunosuke the wing spiker of class 2-1!" Baldie pointed at himself with a smirk. "As your upperclassman, you may refer to me as Mr. Tanaka." He rubbed his nose, the same confident smirk Nishinoya had on his own face.  
  
 "Asahi, stop being a baby and introduce yourself!" Nishinoya shouted, placing his hands on his hips and giving a not-at-all threatening glare at 'Man-Bun.'  
  
 "A-Asahi Azumane of class 3-3. I guess I'm a wing spiker..." He said timidly, looking anywhere but Tobios (unaware glaring) gaze.  
  
 "You're the ace, too! Add that in!" Nishinoya groaned dramatically, clapping the huge boy on the back for emphasis.  
  
 "I'm the ace..." He said, apologetically looking at the short boy. "Nice to meet you."  
  
 "Say that to him, not me!" Tobio watched as Asahi attempted (and quite honestly failed) to look at Tobio, shifting on his feet. He didn't get to get a word out, before someone else spoke up with an incredibly bored tone.  
  
 "Incredible." Tobio looked at the voice, the tall blonde he had seen earlier was looking at Asahi with unimpressed eyes. " _Thats_  our ace?" He scoffed, looking with a sharp glare at Tobio without saying anything.  
  
 "Tsukishima, introduce yourself." Sugawara pressed, smile never fading. Tsukishima sighed and rolled his golden eyes.  
  
 "Tsukishima Kei is from class 1-4! He's a middle blocker!" The slightly shorter freckled boy beside him said with a grin, earning the sharp glare that had previously been directed at Tobio.  
  
 "Yamaguchi." He warned, making 'Yamaguchi' put up his hands in defense.  
  
 "Ah, Sorry, Tsukki." He apologized before looking at Tobio.  
  
 "Yamaguchi Tadashi, class 1-4! Both a pinch server and middle blocker." Yamaguchi properly introduced himself with a smile, the glare from Tsukishima turning back to Tobio. Another couple introductions, one of them being from Hinata, and Tobio was told there was still time for practice so he could get changed, which he did as quickly as he could before hurrying back to the gym, eager to hold the ball in his hands once again. He made sure to slow down his slight jog before entering the gym.  
  
 Eyes wandering to the lineup of club members who were getting ready to practice spikes. Sugawara tossing, and the line continually moving. Tobio watched as they all jumped fairly high, all hitting the ball before quickly moving to the back of the line. Tobio didn't miss the bright orange hair that was next in line, rearing up before leaping up  _high_. He couldn't help but stare as the boy jumped higher than everyone else, smacking the ball down and landing with a loud thud. He watched as the boy grinned from ear-to-ear and hurried to the back of the line, the words "Nice kill!" ringing throughout the gym.  
  
 "What's your position?" Tobio nearly leaped as high as Hinata had when he heard Daichi behind him, whipping around to face the captain.  
  
 "S-setter." He recomposed himself, swallowing. Daichi nodded, passing the ball he had in his hands to Tobio.  
  
 "You can go over there and help with spiking practice then, split the line in two and it'll go faster." He smiled, Tobio nodding as he walked over to the net they were at. Sugawara seemed to get it instantly, telling the line of students to split so Tobio could toss to them, and without hesitation everyone did. Tobio readied himself, looking at the spiker who seemed ready to go, before using his fingers to spring the ball into the air.  
  
 The sound of footsteps echoed before stopping, at least from the spiker who had leaped to spike the ball. The ball thudded on the other side and the spiker landed, darting away instantly as Tobio reached down into the basket that had been pushed to his side, to pull out another ball. He wasted no time in tossing another ball, as if his fingers moved on their own. He was honestly surprised his fingers remembered how to handle the ball- of course it was far from smooth from being out of practice for so long, but with a few more tosses he fell in a steady rhythm. Still a bit blocky, but after some practice he would probably get back in the flow.  
  
Eventually.  
  
Practice was rather uneventful, and seemed to go by far too quickly for Tobios liking. Class was no better, though, being just as uneventful but about 1000x more boring. His fingers drummed quietly on his desk, eyes watching the clock on the wall beside the door, waiting for the bell.  
  
 _Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick...._  
  
He let out a quiet sigh, resting his head down on his desk. He still needed to think of a way to prove himself to get out of this dumb school. The easiest way he could think of was taking down a bunch of ghouls on his own, or a really strong ghoul, but that alone Tobio doubts will convince Irihata. With a bitter grumble, he glanced back at the clock, letting himself think. Maybe he could solve something insolvable? But without access to the files he has no idea what cases are struggling to be solved.  
  
Tobio stood up as the bell rang out, loud and clear. Maybe he should try looking into the 'Byrd' case? It's the only case he actually knows that is currently going on, and tracking or catching Byrd seems to pose a struggle, he could work under the radar and if he solves it before Kunimi and Kindaichi, Irihata will at the very least cut his classes down because he will realize how much of a valuable asset Tobio is.  
  
With eyes focused ahead, Tobio thought of the various ways he could get to the last known place of Byrd, dubbing it the Byrd Zone. It would be hard to know if Byrd has struck again, seeing as he wouldn't be alerted of those sorts of things since he isn't officially on the case, but that would only make it all that more impressive when he figured it out. He neared the gym, barely able to catch sight of the smooth floors before his attention was violently pulled from him due to the shove of the blonde guy from earlier- Tsukishima Kei, if Tobio remembers correctly.  
  
 Tobio looked up his taller teammate, scowl placed on his face. Tsukishima didn't so much as cast a glance at Tobio until he had reached the exit of the school, pausing just before he walked outside. With Yamaguchi behind him, and the sun blaring through the open doors Tobio could admit that Tsukishima had an intimidating aura, well if you weren't Tobio that is. Hinata would probably be terrified, Tobio found himself thinking but quickly shoved the orange-haired boy out of his thoughts.  
  
Tobio stared back at Tsukishima, whose face was blank but his eyes held a mocking look in them. "Pitiful, really. I wonder how long it'll be." He said, a smirk twisting on his lips.  
  
 "What?" Tobio narrowed his eyes, confused by the ambiguous statement. Tsukishima just gave a small shrug in response and Yamaguchi snickered from behind him.  
  
 "You're the  _genius_ , aren't you?" Tobio widened his eyes, the only ones who called him a genius were his fellow CCG members, but surely Tsukishima doesn't know he's a trainee there, right? But Tobio hadn't exactly showed anything to suggest he was a genius at anything, really. Maybe he had just been referring to practice, Tobio had been pretty decent(in his own opinion), but nothing extraordinary, right? Maybe it was just the cold way Tsukishima had said it, a concealed aggressive tone to his voice- as if he knew more than he actually has said to Tobio.  
  
Maybe he knew.  
  
Tobio was snapped out of his thoughts, not even noticing Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had left, when someone gave him a slight shove. Directing to his attention to the attacker, he discovered it was Hinata.  
  
 "Stop taking up the path!" He stuck out his tongue tauntingly. "Gosh, you're so slow!"  
  
 "Why you-" Before he could finish his sentence, or even reach out to grab Hinata, the boy had bound ahead eagerly, darting off and into the gym. With a grumbling sigh Tobio followed, pretty far behind from the other two.  
  
  
Practice, once again, didn't go on for long enough. Once Tobio had put the last ball in the basket, shoving it into the equipment closet, he longed for it once again. Scowling, he headed off, being the last one in the gym, to change. Entering the changing room, which was buzzing with commotion between the three most lively of members, he went straight to his bag and began to get changed.  
  
Before long he had fully changed, stuffing the last bit of his things in his bag, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi already heading out while Tanaka waited for Nishinoya to gather his things. Hinata pulled on his shirt quickly as Tobio stood up and started out the door, ignoring Tanaka who had wished him off.  
  
He pulled out his phone, checking the time. He didn't have anything to do, beyond some training- but his training would be finding a way to get his ass to the Byrd sighting, or tracking all the ghoul attacks so he knows what is happening.  
  
Stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked, quite fond of the slight crisp of cold that nipped at his skin. Deciding to go check out the crime scene right now, he turned course and headed to the nearest bus stop- according to the map that had also been in the file Mizoguchi had given him the other day. Sure enough, the bus stop was right around the block. Plopping down on the bench, Tobio dug into his pockets for the leftover change he had leftover from lunch.  
  
 The bus took 5 minutes, according to Tobio's internal clock, and he climbed on board, dropping his change in the slot as he moved to a seat. He chose the second last one, plopping down and checking the time once more. Yup, 5 minutes- almost 6 now. He opened up an app, deciding the ride would take awhile.  
  
  
He was right, it took 40 minutes with all the stops and such, but soon Tobio was able to get off. Remembering the area Kunimi had said the ghoul was sighted in a text he had sent earlier, asking the boy. With his backpack over his shoulder, and his usual scowl, Tobio got off the bus and gazed around.  
  
Where to go from here?  
  
His eyes drifted to the bus schedule and routes, and he could tell from here - the 9th stop - he could go down a few blocks, take a right for a few more, then lastly go down again and he would be there. He knew the area would be right beside a park, so opted on basing it off that, considering there was only one park anywhere near him at the moment.  
  
Not having much daylight left, Tobio hurried off: eager to get his own self-assigned mission started. Within a few minutes, about 10 or 20, Tobio reached what he assumed to be the scene. Of course it had already been cleaned up, but there was still a bit of straggling pieces of police tape still tied to the trees where it had lazily been ripped off. But Tobio still held the bit of hope that he might find  _something_  the crew had left behind. He began to walk around, keeping a keen eye open for anything, absolutely  _anything_  that would give him some clue.  
  
He caught sight of the gleam of something, crouching down and narrowing his eyes in the dark. He frowned when he realized it was just a bottle cap. He groaned and stood up, glaring at the useless trash, more upset with the fact someone had littered than the actual trash.  
  
He looked around for a trash can, surely there would be one if it was a park. Heading deeper into the grassy area, he caught sight of what looked to be a trash can at the end of the block and picked up his pace, jogging to it. Just as he passed an alleyway, he skidded to a halt and whipped toward it- seeing a figure heading up, away from Tobio. He froze and shoved the bottle cap in his pocket and began to slowly follow the person.  
  
 With as much stealth as he could, he ducked out of view as the figure seemed to have caught on to be watched. They looked visibly scared, and with them facing Tobio he could see their face a little better. Tan skin and dark brown hair- a woman by the looks. He watched as she turned and picked up her pace, walking quicker. He stood up, watching as she ducked out of the alley and headed up the street. She hadn't looked like anyone suspicious, she looked absolutely terrified and had probably been talking a short cut.  
  
 But of course he couldn't just let her-  
  
 Tobios thoughts were cut off when he heard the crash of something, eyes wide as he dashed the way the woman had gone. He wasted no time in looking around when he came out of the alley, but the only thing that was there was a trash can that had been knocked over, garbage scattered everywhere. A raccoon? No... He whipped his head up, looking up a lamp post to see just what he had feared. A ghoul was perched on the post, the limp body of the girl resting on her back in a perfect arch- spine most likely broken to get such a curve.  
  
Tobio felt his stomach twist as he watched the ghoul, in the middle of ripping out an organ Tobio couldn't identify from this far, stopped and slowly turned its head, enough to most likely see Tobio as the ghoul stood up- the organ ripping from the girls body with a disgusting noise. The ghoul slowly looked at Tobio, and Tobio could see it.  
  
It had a black hood pulled up over it's head, the mask on the upper half of its face seemed to be a black bird, a navy blue, Tobio almost mistook for a black, traced the edge of where the girls black and red eyes glared down at him. A large collar covering most of its lower face, Tobio couldn't properly tell the skin tone or size- but the ghoul looked to be very pale and very short.  
  
 However, its kagune was a different story.  
  
 A deep red, almost black, seemed to shift like a thick oil- glossy. The red tips of eat spike that tried to imitate feathers stuck out, deadly sharp. The kagune, there was two, was huge in size, almost triple the size of the ghoul itself. Tobio couldn't help but stare, paralyzed. He had never seen such a kagune, it was so big and Tobio could sweat was almost exactly like a birds wings- which he guessed made sense.  
  
Shaking himself back to his senses, he reached for his bag just as the ghoul launched itself at him. He was unable to unzip the bag in time, the ghoul ripping the bag from his hands and violently tossing it into the nearest fence with a flinch-worthy smashing sound. Tobio fell back, the ghouls hands on his throat, and tried to pry them away, choking with eyes shut tightly as he waited for the ghoul to kill him.  
  
No, no he wasn't giving up yet.  
  
 He twisted himself, loosening the grip of the ghoul, and kneed it in the stomach- earning a cough - before fully kicking it off him with all his force. The ghoul fell back, knocking right into the edge of the sidewalk with a snap. Tobio realized the ghoul had landed incorrectly on its arm, the kagune had pinned it down and snapped it against the sidewalk. The ghoul hissed in pain, staggering up and rubbing its arm, clearly in a lot of pain. Tobio knew the ghoul would heal in no time, so made a break for his bag.  
  
 He didn't even have time to take out his quinque before he turned back, the ghoul gone. With a deep frown, Tobio plopped down on the grass and panted, rubbing his throat. He felt a bit of blood, marks were definitely there too. He'd need to cover it up somehow for school, wouldn't he?  
  
 _Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (/owo)/ 420 +3 hits nice  
> i attempted and failed to get it out at 420 for the mehmehz f ucK


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byrd-senpai notice Tobio-chan pls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S2E01 IS OUT AND IM HYPE

Tobio zipped up his jersey all the way- the collar covering his neck. He had used a bit of his money to buy some concealer to cover up the marks, which worked well, but just in case it seemed a little too red or something he decided to wear a jersey. He refused to tell the boss what had happened, if he did it would only give Irihata the idea he couldn't deal with something as simple.  
  
Plus, he had to admit, it was a bit embarrassing, failing to even capture the ghoul and having to call the police about the body. A feeling of guilt weighed in his stomach heavily, the woman had died but Tobio might have been able to save her. He groaned, shoving his hands into his pockets and tried not to think about it. He entered the school gates, scowl glued on his face because he was just a tad bit late. Not that he could be blamed, since he had gone to bed late and had to go buy the concealer this morning which was incredibly awkward. Tobio shudders at the memory.  
  
He looks up as he nears the gym, hearing a bit of commotion as he opened up the doors.  
  
 "It went well?" Nishinoya beamed at two girls, one blonde and the other dark haired. The blonde one had an eye patch, looking at the ground with an awkward smile as she played with the hem of her shirt. The dark haired girl had blue eyes and glasses, a mature aura about her as she did nothing but nod in response. Tobio saw Tanaka notice him, giving Nishinoya a slight shove which shut up him.  
  
 "Ah, hey Kageyama!" Tanaka greeted, making everyone turn to him.  
  
 "Good morning, Kageyama." Sugawara greeted, motioning to the two girls. "You haven't met Kiyoko yet, have you?" Tobio neared him, shaking his head.  
  
 "Hello." 'Kiyoko' said politely, nodding in greeting. "Shimizu Kiyoko of class 3-2." She put a hand on the other girls shoulder. "Hitoka Yachi, Class 5-1." She introduced the other girl, to which Tobio nodded in greeting. "We are the managers." Her words were brief yet polite, and Tobio found himself simply nodding with a strange respect for her, besides the respect he gave her for being an upperclassman. It was different from the respect he gave other upperclassmen, but Tobio couldn't explain it.  
  
 "Kiyoko wasn't here yesterday because she was taking care of Yachi." Sugawara explained, motioning to Yachi. "She had to undergo a surgery."  
  
 "Ms. Kiyoko's father is a doctor!" Tanaka butted in, leaning uncomfortably on Tobios shoulder. "She going to become one herself, when shes older!" He grinned widely.  
  
 "She's basically the doctor of our team, already!" Nishinoya said, hopping up and down on the other side of Tobio, eyes sparkling with admiration.  
  
 "I-I see." Tobio responded, brushing Tanaka off him. He wanted to ask more about Yachis surgery, but figured it too personal. Maybe one day he'd know, but it wasn't today.  
  
 "That's enough, let Kageyama get changed." Daichi grumbled, giving a gentle push to Tobio, who nodded to the captain before heading off to get changed.  
  
Pulling on his shirt, he finally turned and headed out of the club room- disappointed in himself for having forgot his knee pads. He'd need to ask Daichi if there were spares, he huffed as he neared the gym doors.  
  
 "But it could also be good for her, so she doesn't lose control." A voice said, causing Tobios curiosity to pique and making him freeze. "She's not going to attend class, though, since I can't keep an eye on her." It was Kiyoko.  
  
 "Alright, alright. I trust your judgement." Daichi. "If you think so, then that's fine." Tobio peered through the door cautiously, catching sight of Kiyoko and Daichi standing near the benches, just within earshot. The conversation seemed to be done, so Tobio stepped into the gym, walking over to Daichi who looked at him.  
  
 "Are there any spare knee-pads?" Tobio asked, looking at his own knees for emphasis, and when he looked up he saw Daichi glancing down at them for a brief moment.  
  
 "I believe there are some extra in the club room- I can't recalled which one." He looked at Kiyoko. "Do you remember where you put them?" She gave a nod, silently leading Tobio off. Tobio followed, just as quietly. She walked up to the clubroom, bending down as she opened the closet and pulling out a box. She heaved it out, placing it on the bench. She began to open it before pausing, looking up at Tobio quietly.  
  
She stood up, pulling out a pair of knee-pads that she didn't hand to Tobio, who blinked owlishly at her sudden conversation. She paused, eyes that had once been staring at the pads traced up to Tobios own navy blues. She held out the pads, eyes never leaving Tobio.s own. Completely silent, as if she was studying him. "How did you get those marks, Kageyama Tobio?" She used her other hand, pointing to her own neck to emphasize. This caused Tobio to instinctively reach up and touch his own neck, shivering slightly.  
  
 "Why do you ask?"  He asked back at her,  avoiding the question. She seemed to notice his avoidance, as anyone would, and shut the box.  
  
 "I'm just curious." She said calmly as she pushed the box back in the closet.  
  
 "It's nothing important." She shut the doors, looking over her shoulder with an expressionless look. "Just my dog stepped on my neck last night." He lied.  
  
 "I see." She stated bluntly, clearly not convinced, turning to fully face Tobio, who raised an eyebrow. Silence fell upon the both of them once more before she brushed past him, walking out the club door before pausing at the stairs, Tobio staring at her. "Please be careful." She said calmly, walking down the stairs. Weird. She definitely knew something, Tobio would need to be careful around her.  
  
He propped his leg up on the bench, sliding on each of the knee pads and adjusting them so they fit snugly, before heading out of the club room and back towards the gym. He peered in as he stepped in, everyone was already stretching, and hurried to join them. Tobio sat near the back, far enough no one would strike up a conversation but not so far he would seem like he was completely avoiding them, he was kind of but he couldn't let them know that. He had to get along with them for now, who knows how Tobio is being graded on this assignment. Not a literal assignment, of course. Metaphorical assignment.  
  
Tobio shook his head wildly, looking up as a few of the other members stood up, ready to do some warm ups. Tobio followed as the last of the stretchers got up, waiting for Daichi to tell them they're free to start running as a warm up.  
  
 "Just a couple laps today, since practice will be cut short this morning." This caused a ripple of confusion among the club members, making Daichi have to wait for them to calm down before he spoke again. "The third years have some business to attend to- second and first years are, of course, free to use the gym for the remaining time, though." He explained before motioning to the door, a stern look on his face. "Now, chop chop." He said, leading the group of out of the gym for their morning run.  
  
Tobio panted slightly, relieved to finally stop. He was surprised by how fast the group had been, sure he could keep up because of his training of course, but after non-stop running for quite some time even he got tired. The most baffling part was how unenergetic Hinata still was, he had lagged behind the group a bit which he had never done before in Tobios short time being here, and he always got the impression Hinata was overflowing with energy. What was even more weird was the constant glances Hinata cast at him, making Tobio feel on-edge.  
  
It was only when the third-years left, and two second years, that Hinata finally approached Tobio "What?" Tobio asked after a moment of silence, turning the volleyball in his hands around. Hinata puffed up his cheeks, adverting his eyes for a brief moment.  
  
 "What's that on your neck?" He asked, pointing to Tobios neck. Tobio flinched, nearly dropping the ball. Of all people to notice, he never thought Hinata would. He had even kept on his jersey.  
  
 "N-None of your business! Why do you even care?" He snapped, glaring down at the boy who took a step back in fear, his previous determined look gone and replaced with one of fear.  
  
 "Y-You want to fight!?" He stammered, putting up his hands in defense. "Is it so wrong for me to worry about my teammate?!" The way he shifted slightly was pretty suspicious, but Tobio chalked it up to fear.  
  
 "My dog just stepped on me." Tobio repeated his lie, looking away. This made Hinata snort with laughter, covering his mouth. Tobio glared death at him, eyes narrowed.  
  
 "Y-Your dog?" He snickered, eyes lighting up. "You have a dog? I didn't take you for the dog type! Since, y'know, dogs are friendly and nice- unlike you. You're far more like a cat, grouchy and mean." He laughed, making Tobio twitch with anger, whipping his head around and marching off. He wasn't grouchy- okay maybe a bit, but definitely not cat-level. And he wasn't mean. He's really not.... At all.. He found himself having to wipe the glaring pout of his face with a shake of his head. He didn't have time to waste, he needed to get a redo of last night.  
  
What had happened didn't count, he wants a redo. He won't be shocked this time because there will not be a victim. He will get the ghoul. Tonight.  
  
  
Tobio kicked the dirt in a grumpy huff. Straight after school he had, once again, headed out. Right to where he had last seen the ghoul, and began scoping it out. He made sure to be very sneaky, so he doubted Byrd had seen him and decided to avoid the area. He also checked the surrounding area, as wide as he could seeing as it was getting close to midnight, and there wasn't a hint of Byrd even coming anywhere near, leaving Tobio frustrated beyond belief.  
  
He was all ready to take down Byrd, but the bastard didn't even show. He grumbled as he used a little more power to kick the ground, dirt and pebbles scattering upward before landing with soft clinks. He sighed, trying to calm himself. He couldn't get angry- he was no good when he was angry, which made him even more angry to think about.  
  
                                                                                                                                   _____________  
  
The next day was no luck, either, and once again Tobio was grumbling in frustration as he slammed his door shut behind him. Surely Byrd wasn't purposely avoiding him? Wait- why wouldn't it? He sounded like a school girl getting avoided by their crush, how gross. He shook the disgusted look on his face and plopped on his bed, exhausted. Maybe Byrd was being more cautious, and Tobio had just missed it. It makes sense, since Tobio had broken the ghouls arm and he was, probably in the eyes of Byrd, just a normal citizen. If a "normal citizen" was able to defend themself it would make sense for the ghoul to be a little more cautious when murdering.  
  
He let out a heavy sigh, looking up to examine the gym. The thoughts of last night still lingered on him, and since he had been staying up well past 1 am to hunt for Byrd he had been living off 4-6 hours of sleep for five days now. He rubbing his eyes, attempting shaking the tiredness off himself with no avail.  
  
 "Mr. Kageyama? Are you feeling alright?" He nearly jumped out of his runners, having not noticed the small blonde who had crept up. He looked down at her, blinking as he tried to process what she had said.  
  
 "Fine." He grumbled with a scowl, turning back to glare at his volleyball. The blonde girl jumped slightly, and Tobio saw from the corner of his eye, Kiyoko standing beside her- hand on her shoulder. Wow, he really needed some sleep. He hadn't even noticed her.  
  
 "I-If you're sure, I-I was just go-going to say you would probably not be at your b-best today, so Mr. Daichi would probably let you rest in the infirmary, instead of practice." She was waving her hands in front of her, as if creating a wall at a far-too-fast pace. "Since you're tired now, yo-you'll probably end up falling asleep in class and get-getting in... trouble..." She seemed to calm down, staring at her feet as she shifted slight on each of them. Tobio stared at her for a long moment, eyes darting to Kiyoko who simply stood, hand on Yachis shoulder, without a word.  
  
Tobio didn't respond, staring at Yachi who, in turn, was getting visibly more awkward (and was she sweating a bit?). He sighed, adverting his eyes. "Thanks, I think I will." He told her, and she leaped up in surprise, taking a moment to realize what he had said. She grinned, nodding.  
  
 "I'll tell Mr. Daichi!" She gave a slight nod before turning and hurrying off with Kiyoko trailing behind her. As much as he wanted to stay and practice, he couldn't stand without wanting to collapse in a tired heap so you can only imagine what practice was like. He sighed, dumping the ball in the bin, before heading out of the gym. Just a quick nap, he told himself, before class. It's not like he needed to get a sudden drop in his (admittedly already bad) grades. Mizoguchi would probably end up sending someone to scold him, if not calling himself and giving an hour-long lecture to which he would demand why Tobios grades had suddenly become even worse than usual, and eventually Tobio would cave and tell him everything he'd been doing which would get him in trouble which would get him to be completely suspended, or worse.  
  
Tobio sighed heavily once again, pushing the door to the infirmary open and peering inside. He gazed around, finding it was empty. What if he had broken a leg and was on the verge of death? The nurse wouldn't be able to save him and he'd die, alone and without anyone even realizing it until the damn nurse got back to their post (where they are supposed to be).  
  
He grumbled a few insults as he closed the door behind him, deciding he would just take his nap and tell the nurse why he had- if they ever decided to return to their post anytime today.  
  
                                                                                                                                   _____________  
  
"He's in the infirmary." Hitoka told Daichi, looking up at the captain. "He wasn't looking well, so I suggested he do so..." She looked at her feet, unable to meet Daichis eyes for too long, he had quite the intimidating aura about him, but it was a stern, fatherly, aura. Not one of pure demon-esc intimidation like Kageyama had. "Is that alright?"  
  
 "That's fine, Yachi." He paused, crossing his arms with a slight sigh. "He wasn't look very well, I noticed too, but I thought he would have just glared at me and demand he stay to practice, insisting he would be fine." He admitted, smiling apologetically. "He seems to love volleyball a lot, he's always one of the first members in the gym even though he looks like he hasn't slept a wink." He told her.  
  
 "Do you think he's sick?" Hitoka frowned with worry, eyes focused on the ground. "I used to get sick a lot, without even realizing it, around this time." Daichi nodded in understanding. "Since it's a sudden drop of temperature, from the summer heat, and all."  
  
 "It's possible..." He said, looking at the bright orange mop that had bounced over to the small group.  
  
 "Do you know where he lives?" Hinata asked, quite honestly out of the blue, catching Hitoka off-guard and causing her to flinch.  
  
 "Ah, Ms. Shimizu might..." Hitoka looked up at the pretty woman who still stood behind her. Kiyoko blinked slowly, thinking for a moment.  
  
 "Ah, pretty close to Ukai's." She informed the small freckled boy. "I can't recall his exact address." She went quiet again.  
  
 "Why? Are you going to v-visit him?" Hitoka widened her eyes, clenching her fists around the hem of her shirt. She knew that she could never get used to this "club," worry would always be at the back of her mind. Even if she was one of them now. Kind of. Hinata seemed to notice this, smiling widely and shaking his head.  
  
 "It's just, I saw him take a bus over to the other side of town." He said, before pursing his lips when he realized what he'd said, and Hitoka knew too. She was curious as to why he had been near a bus stop that led over there, the only one near his way to school was the opposite way to his house, so there was really no reason for him to have seen Kageyama. Hitoka was about to ask out of impulse, but Hinata was quick to answer before she had even opened her mouth. "I was delivering some papers for a classmate when he was sick a couple days ago, is all." He waved his hands dismissively. That didn't explain why Hinata knew when Kageyama would get off the bus, but Hitoka didn't linger on this for too long before Hinata changed the subject. "But isn't it weird? Why would he be going to the bus stop if he was so close?"  
  
 "It is a bit odd." Daichi put his hand on his chin, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Hinata. He had probably caught on to Hinata's odd little bit of information, but clearly wasn't about to say anything. At least not right now. "But it's none of our business, maybe he's visiting a friend-" This caused Hinata to snort slightly, earning a slight glare from Daichi. "Whatever the reason, I'm sure it has an explanation." He waved his hand, telling Hinata to shoo. "Stop being so nosy, it's not like it matters if he attends practice or not. In fact, it's better if he doesn't." Daichi said coldly, making Hitoka frown slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love yachi my precious child so i will so damn write from her pov if i see fit also DID YOU SEE HER IN THE EPISODE????  
> im sobbing
> 
> also im hoping to get another chapter done because im so hyped and excited and AHHHHH season 2 ammirite pretty good yeah AAAAAAAAAAAA


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote a bunch of chapters in one night at like 2 am so excuse me if its not all that good
> 
> also i use mr/ms/mrs/mz in place of sama/san/senpai/etc in case anyone was wondering sooo thats why tanka and nishinoya asked to be called mr. tanaka and mr nishinoya
> 
> thats also why yachi calls every mr/ms whatever cause shes an awkwardly polite lil bab and fuck you all i love my princess

Tobio lurched upward, gasping for breath and panting heavily as he tried to collect himself, before quickly glaring at the bag beside the infirmary bed he lay in, or sit in, he guesses. The ringing was loud and quite frankly obnoxious, he'd need to get a new, quieter, ringtone or he'd need to actually remember to put it on vibrate.  Leaning over the side of the bed, he pulled his bag open and rummaged through it, grabbing his phone and quickly checking the caller I.D.  
  
 _Mizoguchi._  
  
 "H-Hello?" He asked, feeling a bit wary of what was to come, and Mizoguchis calm tone didn't help one bit.  
  
 "Due to a bit of a pileup of files, we weren't able to get the information of a ghoul attack until now." Oh fuck. "Byrd, by the looks. There were two people there- one victim, confirmed dead. The other wished to be anonymous." He knows.  
  
 "W-Why do you... ask..." Tobio felt himself wanting to disappear.  
  
 "But of course, since we are the Commission of Counter Ghoul-" Oh god, he definitely knows. "-It was extremely easy to get the police to tell us who had called." Fuck, fuck fuck. "So, care to explain?" Tobio could feel the cold, emotionless, glare on Mizoguchis face of pure and utter disappointment.  
  
 "I... I'm in school right now." He attempted to avoid the question, or at least prolong the answer. "I can't exactly go around giving such information, now can I?" He heard a slight sigh.  
  
 "I'm not asking much, Kageyama Tobio. We aren't. Please stop this- I'm sure you have a reason, as I know you aren't a complete idiot." There was a pause that left a slight pang of anger rest in Tobio, but he refused to act on it. "And I still demand an answer, but you need to listen to your superiors. I was going to leave you to deal with it on your own, but clearly you can't resist from acting out on your own like that."  
  
 "Sir-" Tobio knew where this was going, but he didn't want it to go that way. "-Please, sir. I won't do it again, just don't-"  
  
 "I'm sending someone over to supervise you. I was hoping I wouldn't have to, but expect someone to be at your school by lunch." Tobio bit his lip in frustration.  
  
 "I don't need a supervisor, Sir."  
  
 "Kageyama Tobio, this is a order from your boss." His calm tone changed slightly, becoming far more tense and angry, a warning. Tobio shut up. "As soon as someone arrives you are not to leave their sight." Tobio couldn't stop the disappointed scowl from clouding his face, eyes going dark. He said nothing. "Understood?" It wasn't until a few moments Mizoguchi spoke up again.  
  
"Yes, Sir."   
  
 "Good, I'm going to choose someone who can also teach you a bit about partnership- they will be your temporary partner as well, I suppose. Think of it as a training partner." Mizoguchi continued, calming down a bit and regaining his composure. "I haven't decided of who, yet, but I do have someone in mind. Make sure to call me when they arrive, as you still have a few things to tell me."  
  
 "Y-yes, Sir." Tobio sounded like a broken record, making him want to sigh and bang his head on the wall. It wasn't supposed to go like this.  
  
 "I'm disappointed you didn't tell me, goodbye, Kageyama." He didn't bother to say goodbye as he ended the call, finally letting out the sigh he had been holding in. With his luck, the "supervisor" would be-  
  
 "Who're you talking to?" A head popped in through the curtain, making Kageyama yelp and jump slightly, falling off the bed. It would almost be funny if it didn't hurt. He groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up, looking at the one who had caused his fall. Yachi Hitoka. "Ah! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! I-I just, Daichi told me to... And I didn't... I mean..." She panicked, waving her hands around wildly, Tobio took notice of a notebook in her right one and instantly recognized it as his own, for math. She stiffened upon noticed that he noticed, holding it out awkwardly. "You left this in the club room, D-Daichi asked me to bring it to you." She kept adverting her eyes.  
  
Tobio paused before taking it. "Thank you..." He narrowed his eyes at her, had she heard? As if reading his mind, she answered with waving her hands wildly.  
  
 "I-I wasn't ease dropping! I just walked in and you were on the phone so I waited u-until you were done, but I-I didn't listen, I promise!" She fixated her eyes on the floor, shifting slightly, nervously, on her feet.  
  
 "Oh..." He looking down at the bed sheets, the awkward silence between the girl and himself was so heavily and thick he could probably cut through it with a knife. It was a long moment before the two were finally broken free by the door to the infirmary opening, a woman in a tight ponytail and a stern-looking face entered, hands reaching into her lab coats' pockets'.  
  
 "If you two are done, please leave. Class is starting." She said, fixing her glasses just in time for the bell to ring.  
  
 "Ah! I forgot! Bye, Mr. Kageyama." She waved, turning and hurrying off. Tobio stood up, letting a tiny sigh as he grabbed his bag. He seemed to be sighing a lot, lately. He cast a glance at the nurse as he walked out of the infirmary, she was already hunched over her desk, shuffling through some papers. He didn't bother with wasting anymore time, feeling a bit groggy but far better than he had been before his nap, he headed to class.  
  
  
"Tobi~!" In that moment that Tobio wanted a void to swallow him so he could leave everything behind. Of course it would be Oikawa Toru. Of course! Tobio sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he slowed his pace, praying that in the time he got to Oikawa the world would pull him into its core. He was thoroughly disappointed when it didn't. "How are you this fine day, Your Highness?" He did a mocking bow, and it took every ounce of Tobios restraint to not rip his own hair out and scream, running down the street.  
  
 Ignoring him as best he could, Tobio pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Maybe he could get a different partner, anyone, anyone at all! The phone rang for a moment for Mizoguchi picked up.  
  
 "You're just in time, I have a meeting in a few minutes so we are going to keep this brief." He spoke before Tobio had a chance to. "Get to an excluded area where you won't be heard and tell me why you went after Byrd- and don't say it was a coincidence because you have no reason to be in that area." Tobio sighed, giving a quick double-take, before speaking.  
  
 "I just..." Tobios eyes wandered to Oikawa who was rocking on his heels a little ways away, examining the school without straying too far. Admitting it was already hard, but it's harder with Oikawa (Oikawa! Of all people!) nearby. "I wanted to see the scene for myself and I ran into Byrd, is all... It caught me by surprise. I had no intention of actually finding it." Okay, so he did, kind of. But it was just a white lie.  
  
 "Kageyama, you need to trust your fellow CCG members. You can't run the whole company by yourself- it's impossible." Mizoguchi began his lecture, which could just be wilted down to "Trust your teammates, the world is large and you can't protect it by yourself." He finally got let go, after about 30 "Yes, Sir."s and nods to no one. He ended the call, turning to Oikawa. He hadn't been able to ask about getting a knew partner, he would soon, though. Mizoguchi just needed to calm down. He could avoid Oikawa until then, surely. Avoid without letting him know, of course. He would probably waste absolutely no time in telling Mizoguchi.  
  
 "So, Tobio." Oikawa hummed, looking at Tobio with a smooth grin. "I'm starving! I totally missed lunch, share yours with me!"  
  
 "Uhm..." Tobio frowned, eyes narrowed. "I don't bring a lunch, I buy one." This caused Oikawa to pout.  
  
 "How unhealthy! I don't want to waste any money on this gross food." He sighed, crossing his arms. "Why not go ask one of your club friends, who you are friendly friends with, hm?" He grinned mockingly, the undertone in his voice clearly laced with sarcasm. Tobio felt a bit of annoyance as he brushed past his upperclassmen.  
  
 "I don't want to bother them."  
  
 "Surely one of them wouldn't mind giving you a little taste of their lunch, friends share lunches all the time!" He followed Tobio, looming over the younger boys shoulder. "It'd just be a one time thing after all, or could it be you don't actually have friends." He pouted. "After a week and you haven't got a single one. How lame, I bet Mizoguchi would be so disappointed that you're taking so long, but I'm sure he'll understand and prolong your little suspension!" Tobio tried not to flinch, speeding up.  
  
 "Fine."  
  
 "Hm?"  
  
 "I'll go see if someones in the gym." He growled, stomping straight towards the most likely empty gym. He was, for the millionth time today, disappointed to find two people in it. One was the freckled boy, Hinata, and the other the blonde girl, Yachi. He wasn't exactly on bad terms with anyone from the club, he supposed, but he was honestly not on exactly great terms either.  
  
But at least it hadn't been someone like Tsukishima, and he has actually spoken to the two in a more casual conversation(?) unlike most of the club. He was about to turn tail and flee, but still felt the curious presence of Oikawa behind him and headed into the gym, walking over to the bench where the two sat together, not yet noticing Tobio.  
  
 "I'm still not used to it, it's a bit gross..." Yachi said, looking far more casual with Hinata than with Tobio, but he guessed that made sense. Hinata was quite the friendly person, and he even has made efforts to be friendly with Tobio, even if it was probably more obligatory- being in the same club and all.  
  
 "Maybe, I've never really thought of it like that since I've always been eating it, but I could see how you'd see it like that. It'd be like a pig eating bacon!" Hinata laughed, kicking his feet, and took notice of Tobio walking over.  
  
 "P-Pig?!" Yachi said aloud, more so to herself than anyone, before also noticing Tobio. "Ah, M-Mr. Kageyama." She visibly tensed, looking straight down and shoving whatever meat had been on her fork in her mouth as to not speak anymore, likely.  
  
 "Hey, Kageyama. What's up?" Hinata asked through a mouthful of meat, curious eyes looking at Oikawa as he chewed sloppily. He was clearly a messy eater, evident by the smudge of... Ketchup? Some sort of red sauce, anyway, on his cheek.  
  
 "Hello, Hinata. Yachi." Tobio greeted, earning a slight flick of the wrist from Yachi as a polite but awkward wave as she continued to slowly and thoroughly chew her food, probably a bit too much. "This is Oikawa Toru, he forgot his lunch. Can you maybe spare something for him?" Tobio knew his voice was tinted with a bit of begging, but he honestly hoped no one would pick up on it, but at the same time Hinata or Yachi would.  
  
 "Yes, yes. Surely you two could spare maybe a bite or two is all. Any friend of Tobi is a friend of mine." The way he said "friend" was laced with a dark, sarcastic, undertone that Tobio pretended he didn't notice. There was a pause.  
  
 "Ah, sorry! I need all my strength for practice!" Hinata with a, slightly apologetic, smile. One down. Even if they didn't share, as long as they didn't say they weren't friends everything would be fine. The two were rather friendly -or just too awkward to be mean- by default, but it's not like Oikawa knew that, he couldn't. But then again, Oikawa knew things. Strange things that no normal being should know. As much as Tobio respected Oikawas skills, and hated his personality, he was kind of off-set by the amount of knowledge Oikawa could get that sometimes would be unattainable for someone like Tobio or even other members of Oikawas status, as few as there were.  
  
 Tobio stared at Yachi, who was adverting her eyes at a rapid pace, looking everywhere but Tobio. She finally settled on her food, which seemed to be some meat and vegetables- a lot of vegetables, along with a few fruits. Looking at it, he noticed the surprising unbalanced diet of Hinata- who had just had meat. Maybe Hianta had already eaten his vegetables, and was just the type of person to leave his favourite for last.  
  
No, that didn't make sense. Hinata was definitely the person to eat his favourite then regret it, complaining about how he wished he hadn't but always being unable to resist. And he definitely wasn't the type to love vegetables.  
  
 Not that Tobio noticed that type of thing, especially not about Hinata.  
  
 "S-Sure..." He was pulled from his thoughts when Yachi finally spoke up, quiet but speaking nonetheless. "I-I already ate all the meat but you can have your fill of other things. I have some cucumber a-and a little strawberries, if you like them. Also a bit of tomatoes and a few other things- you-you're free to take whatever you like." Yachi stammered, offering out her lunch nervously, adverting her eyes. "A-any friend of Mr. Kageyama is a friend of ours." She gave a weak smile, earning one back from Oikawa.  
  
 "Aren't you an angel~" He hummed, pointing at the meat. "What type of meat is that anyway?" He asked, picking a few cucumbers and strawberries for himself.  
  
 "Ah, oh it's uh..." She looked to Hinata, as if searching for an answer, who shrugged. "I-I don't know. Ms. Shimizu prepared it for me." She said, sagging her shoulders slightly. Oikawa paused before reaching down and picking one of the lonesome chunks, popping it in his mouth. He chewed a bit, tasting it, before slowing his chewing until it stopped. He stared for a long moment, straight at Yachi, with an unreadable expression.  
  
 "Tastes like veal." He muttered, mouth full, before turning with a wave. "Thank you~" Tobio took notice of Hinata and Yachi's expressions, Yachi looked utterly horrified (as one might upon encountering Oikawa), while Hinata looked about ready to burst with, most likely laughter. Tobio turned and followed Oikawa, who had exited the gym, in time to see the older boy spitting the meat into the grass.  
  
 "Was it that bad?" Tobio asked with a frown. Oikawa turned to him, wiping his mouth.  
  
 "Oh, Tobio. In a world like this, you never eat veal." He hummed, licking his lips and spitting once more, leaving Tobio confused. Oikawa took notice of this, smiling with a slight laugh. "Didn't you know?" A pause.  "Human meat tastes just like veal."  
  
Tobio stared at him, shocked clearly written all over his expression. "You think Yachi is a ghoul?" He asked, bewildered and honestly not convinced. Oikawa shook his head, shrugging at the same time. No or I don't know, make up your mind.  
  
 "Ah, Maybe. But it's not like I can base it off anything. It could very likely be veal, or it could be human and she could be a cannibal or ghoul." He pursed his lips, thinking. "I suppose we could have it tested, if it is human meat, either way an investigation will take place. But if this 'Ms. Shimizu' prepared it, Yachi could be unaware. If it turns out shes a ghoul, then more investigating will go underway to see if we can root out anymore," He seemed to be ranting to himself at this point. "It's possible we can rid the area of a few of them, less deaths in turn, which will be good. If she's a cannibal, then we can probably find the killer." He went off about it likely being Ms. Shimizu, if Yachi hadn't been lying, and blah blah, Tobio didn't care. He sighed, waving his hand, cutting off Oikawa.  
  
 "That's fine, better safe than sorry. I doubt she's anything like that, though." He told him truthfully. "It'll take a while to get the tests back, though, right? I'm not going to wait here for a month- I have class." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.  
  
 "Hm, same." Oikawa sighed, letting his hands rest on the back of his neck as he followed Tobio into the school. Tobio figured it made sense Oikawa had been enrolled, he needed to keep a 24/7 watch on Tobio after all. But since Tobio would be calling Mizoguchi, or even Irihata if need be, to get a new supervisor. He grumbled with frustration, he'd need to find a new way to prove himself now. How ironic, since Oikawa had been the one who had placed the idea in his head, but it only got him in more trouble and hey wait.  
  
Tobio twitched with anger, glaring at Oikawa who had walked ahead of him a ways. The bastard knew this would happen, didn't he? Respect only went so far before Tobio was tempted to rip out Oikawas teeth. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he continued walking, grumbling about Oikawa being an "insufferable, cunning, bastard." He looked up at Oikawa who was peering over his shoulder, smirking. Not only did the bastard know this would happen, he knew that Tobio knew, didn't he?  
  
 "I hate you." Tobio grumbled under his breath.  
  
 "Hm, what was that, Tobi?" Oikawa hummed, smiling that annoying, mocking, smile that tempted Tobio to punch him. He'd never do it, though. He respected Oikawa for a reason, he was a very good ghoul hunter- one of the most skilled. And if Tobio had to admit it, not that he ever would, he used to be Tobios' inspiration, and in a way still is. But it's more of a "I will be you" rather than a "I want to be like you." If that made sense.


	7. Chapter 7

        It was about a month ago, when Oikawa had first been assigned to be Tobios supervisor, when Tobio called Mizoguchi and asked for someone else, to which he got a "No." It's been about a month since Tobio had seen Byrd, and to which Oikawa sent in the test to find out if the meat Yachi had given him was human or not. The results still hadn't come, and when asked everyone had said when they sent it in to their doctors, it had apparently gotten "Lost in the mail," and Oikawa claimed that the aliens were in cahoots with the ghouls to prevent him from finding it. It was at that time Tobio questioned Oikawas sanity, sighing heavily and heading to the door of his apartment, slipping on his shoes to leave.  
  
 "Where are you going, Tobi?" Oikawa called over the sound of the T.V. that was playing some (fake) news story about an alien sighting.  
  
 "Just to the store, I'll be back in a few minutes." He called back. "Don't bother coming with, don't want to miss the part where an alien corpse is discovered!" Tobio lied, he actually had no idea what the hell Oikawa was watching, let alone what happens. It's about aliens and it's fake, as much as Oikawa demanded it was real.  
  
 "WHAT?" This seemed to get Oikawa to plop back down in front of the small T.V., even more invested than before. Tobio took this time to slip out, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked down the street. He really did intend to drop by Ukais, grab a little something to eat for dinner, seeing as nor him or Oikawa could cook, and return home. He gazed around, instantly regretting not taking his bag that had his quinque. He felt far less safe on the dark, empty, street, but he wasn't exactly likely to be attacked. That would be a very unlike scenario.  
  
 He soon reached Ukais, peering in and catching sight of the clock that hung above the counter, that had a bleach-blonde man leaning over the counter. 8:40 pm. The man looked up, and Tobio got full view of his name tag, Ukai. That made sense. He wandered the aisles before settling on a pork bun, quickly buying two for himself before turning and heading out of the shop. He bit into the steamy bun, enjoying the delicious taste as he walked along the street. He froze in place when he heard footsteps, turning to see a familiar figure staggering down the hill. It was hard to see, but it looked like Hinata. The boy seemed to have a rather large duffle bag and was wearing full black, suspicious.  
  
 "Hinata?" Tobio called out, catching the boys attention and making him stiffen and freeze. "What're you doing?" He asked,  being able to see the boy far better as he neared him. He was quite suspicious, though he doubted Hinata was doing anything bad, but he couldn't help Oikawas words from swimming in his mind- about it being possible Yachi was a ghoul or a cannibal, it brought a new suspicion to everyone around him, how little he actually knew.  
  
 After no words from Hinata, he took a few steps closer as his suspicion grew. "Hinata?" He asked again, hearing a slight mumbling from the short boy. "What? Speak up!" He snapped, taking a few steps closer. He froze in place when Hinata looked up, and Tobio got a good look at the boy, being closer. His eyes were glossed over, almost dead but at the same time extremely focused. But that wasn't what caught Tobios eye, it was the void of black that was his sclera and the blood-red that replaced his usual honey-brown. He was panting heavily, taking a slight step backward, still mumbling.  
  
 "Hina-" Tobio was unable to speak before he was cut off by the sudden shout of Hinata.  
  
 "STOP!" The boy gripped his ears, shaking his head wildly. "GET AWAY! AWAY!" He stumbled back, dropping the bag that had previously been on his shoulder. Tobio staggered back slightly, tripping over his own feet. Oikawa was right, he really did know nothing about the people he spent every morning and evening with. Hinata suddenly stopped shouting, staring at Tobio who had began to shuffle back. He needed to get away. He needed to get home, get his quinque. Oh god, why hadn't he taken it? The desperate look on Hinatas face turned to one that lacked emotion, but still held a craving behind those dead-looking eyes.  
  
 "Hinata, it's me. Stop, you-" He was unable to finish his sentence before the smaller boy lunged at him, grabbing Tobios shoulders and forcing him to the ground and making him cough slightly, a bit winded. "STOP!" He shouted desperately, attempting to shove the smaller boy off to no avail. He felt hands grabbing his jaw, covering his mouth and forcibly turning his head with a slight crack as Hinata wasted no time in biting into his lower neck. Tobio let out a muffled scream, clenching his fists in pain and attempting to hit the ghoul with his one free hand, but it was pointless. He was losing strength, and he was already in a rather uncomfortable position.  
  
 "HMPFH!" Tobio stil tried to scream, even bit into Hinatas hand. He knew the boy didn't care when he felt something fill his mouth and begin dripping down his throat. It was a gross taste, like rusted metal or rotting wood and thick like oil. It made him want to gag, choking slightly, but he was forced to swallow it down, still trying to bite into Hinatas hand. He even attempted to pull his hair, anything. He was desperately doing anything he could, but the hunger-craved ghoul continued to bite away at Tobios neck and shoulder. When Tobio began to feel weak, he stopped pulling Hinatas hair, but only bit down harder due to the pain.  
  
 He knew he was fucked when the large kagune erupted from Hinatas shoulder blades. His vision may be getting wary because of the loss of blood, but he definitely knew that kagune. Black as oil, red tints on each of the spikes like they had been dipped in a thick poison that clung to them. The way they spread out, nearly three times as long as the boy himself and definitely twice as wide. Like a set of wings made of needles. He honestly had never thought he would be getting his stomach penetrated by one of those needle-wings. He coughed, hacking slightly and being forced to finally let go of Hinatas hand.  
  
 But the hand didn't move, forcing Tobio to swallow the mixture of his own and Hinatas blood, it was disgusting and he felt himself wanting to throw up- surprised he was managing to keep it down. He was about 80% sure there was a bit of flesh in there, too. Gross. He screamed in pain into Hinatas hand as he felt his body being torn open, eyesight going black slowly. he clenched his fist around Hinatas hand, eyes rolling up to the back of head as he passed out.  
  
  
His eyes slowly flickered open, gazing around the completely dark room. What had happened? Oh right, he had been attacked by Hinata- who was apparently a ghoul. That sucks. Had it been a dream? He attempted to sit, groaning in pain and instinctively reaching for the source, his neck and stomach. He winced, looking around. It was extremely dark, but he could make out that this was, in fact, not his apartment or the H.Q. Okay, so it probably wasn't a dream. Damn, that really fucking sucks.  
  
 He flung his legs over the bed, pushing off his sheets and wincing with each movement. So, Hinata was a ghoul and had killed him? No, he hadn't killed him... Maybe he did. Was this heaven? Hell? Was he reincarnated? Maybe a ghost? What sort of afterlife is a shitty, quite frankly small, apartment? Didn't he already have enough of that in his previous life? Goddamn, his (after?)life sucked.  
  
 But, in spite of the pain, he staggered up, using the wall for support as he began walking. He felt uneasy, like something was looming over him. He gulped as he gazed around the small room, still walking. Or, rather, in this case it'd be staggering. It was a small bed, on the walls seemed to be various posters he couldn't make out, a small closet tucked in the corner and a small desk beside that. He could see papers and notebooks scattered on it messily, a few pencils and pens too, but didn't pay much attention as he nearly fell into the door, pushing it open.  
  
 The hall seemed to be empty, luckily. No murderous cannibals or ghouls in sight. The only sound he heard was heavy breathing- which was probably his. He peered down the hall, at the end of it was an open livingroom-looking area. Two doors on each side, the nearest one on the left was completely open, two shut tight, and one slightly opened. Okay, so it wasn't a small apartment, it was a rather big house.  
  
That wasn't so bad, still bad seeing as it was completely dark. He could probably find a light switch but something in him decided that, no, he wouldn't risk that. Even if it was his own personal afterlife- who knows it could be hell. He staggered down the tight hall, feeling a bit claustrophobic. It wasn't as tight as he thought it was, but his claustrophobia denied this and decided that he was crawling through a mouse hole. He walked past the first door, on the left. The open one.  
  
 His curiosity took over and he was impulsively glancing into it. A bathroom, okay. That wasn't so bad. he turned and staggered to the next door, feeling like it was the proper thing to do. Everything was tense. The air, himself, everything, as he reached for the handle. He took a sharp breath, regretting it due to the equally sharp pain, and pushed the door open. A closet. It was full of towels and rags, okay. Not so bad. He shuffled his way to the next door, the closed one on the right, and pushed it open without wasting any time. He hadn't liked the tension before.  
  
 An office, possibly. There was nothing but a desk and a few bookcases, in the corner was a pile of sheets and blankets, though. he turned to the last door, tension rising, as he staggered toward it. Surely it couldn't be anything bad? His hand lingered above the knob. The last three had been perfectly fine. This would just be another closet, maybe. Or possibly the door to a beautiful balcony full of flowers and sunshine and niceness and not bad things, yes, he liked that idea.  
  
 He placed his hand on the knob, gulping slowly as he cautiously peered through the gap. It was pretty dark, and from the view he couldn't see anything beyond the closet that blocked his view.  
  
 "Big bro?" Tobio froze as he heard a quite, hoarse voice speaking. It sounded high pitched, like a young girl, but at the same time raspy, as if sick. He didn't move, didn't respond. "Big bro...? No... You aren't big bro..." The voice said after a small sniffle. Shit, was this girl crying? Was it even a girl? Was it a haunted doll that was going to hunt him around this completely locked down house for the rest of his afterlife? "Are you big bros' guest?" The voice continued, speaking up slightly. "Hello?"  
  
 Curiosity was shoving him to pull the door, but rationality was violently tugging him away. He didn't know what to do, leaving him frozen in place.  
  
 "Hello....?" The voice sounded fainter, as if desperate for some sort of answer that Tobio couldn't bring himself to say. Eventually everything went quiet again, and Tobio found himself gently pushing the door open. He stared in pure horror and shock as he saw the room brighten up ever so slightly, letting him see what was inside.  
  
 A small girl sat in a large bed, and for a split second Tobio mistook her for a tinier version of Hinata, but what truly was terrifying was the fact four long, flat-looking tendrils wrapped around the room limply. They were purple, red veins circuiting throughout the, clearly, kagunes. They were far longer than Tobio had ever seen, wrapping and twisting around the room grotesquely, as if a protective barrier. They twitched slightly when Tobio had opened the door, the red vein-like strings that ran through them pulsating gently.  
  
The small girl looked sickly thin, cables and wires that were connected to both her and a large machine beside her, a breathing mask resting on her mouth. He took notice of her one eye, just like a ghouls which was not surprising, what was surprisingly was the disgusting growth-looking thing that was coming out of her left eye, pulsating in sync with those kagunes. It was like a lump, a dull, dark purple lump with red veins contrasting ever-so slightly. Fittingly matching the thin, dull-looking kagunes that wrapped around the room.  
  
Everything was sickly, making Tobio flinch slightly. The girl stared ahead for a long moment before finding the strength to turn her head to weakly look at Tobio.  
  
 "Big bro..." She started before Tobio was staggered back and falling to the ground, unaware that he hadn't completely lost his balance on his own until he saw the hand letting go of his forearm and the door shut.  
  
 "Sleep, Natsu. You need your rest." Hinata Shouyou. It was at this point Tobio knew he wasn't dead, or maybe he was. Either he wasn't and he was in a living hell or he was and he was in normal hell. Hinata turned to Tobio, staring down at them in an awkward silence.  
  
 "I can explain, everything." He said after a long moment. Tobio, at this point, was in too much of a shock to actually be shocked.  
  
 "Good."  
  
                                                                                                                                   _____________  
  
 It wasn't long before Tobio was sitting calmly(internally screaming) on a couch across a table from Hinata. Hinata pursed his lips, adverting his eyes. Tobio knew there was no point in running, if he was going to be eaten so be it. It's not like he could put up much of a fight in his current condition, after all he could barely walk. He couldn't meet Hinata in the eye, instead choosing to stare at the wooden coffee table, admiring the way it seemed to be hand-crafted. It was poorly varnished and a bit rough to the touch, plus the design was nothing fancy, all indicating for it to be made by Hinata himself.   
  
 "S-So..." Hinata finally spoke up, shifting nervously. "Haha... I don't know where to start." He admitted.  
  
 "You're a ghoul..." Tobio found himself saying aloud, rubbing his eyes. "Why- what..."  
  
 "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that, by the way." Tobio risked a glance up, seeing Hinata looking genuinely apologetic. "It was technically your fault, in the long run, though."  
  
 "Hah?" He waved his hands wildly, adverting his eyes.  
  
 "Ah! I mean, you were always hanging around my, uh, hunting ground. I knew there was something up about you when you kept going there after I first attacked you." So it had been Hinata. Hinata was Byrd. Shit. "So I had to be very cautious about hunting and wasn't able to get any food for me, only Natsu. I ended up starving myself for too long, though, and was at my limit when I ran into you that time, so I kind of attacked you again." He admitted, looking down. "Sorry." Ah, yes. Because this situation is fixed with a sorry.  
  
 "Shit." He rested his face in his palms, processing this all. "What do you mean by 'that time'? How long has it been?" Tobio peered through his fingers, seeing Hinata pause to think.  
  
 "Uh, 2 months? 2 and a half? " Nearly 3 months. Holy shit. If that happened in October, then that'd make it January and therefore winter break.  
  
 "I've been in a coma?" Tobio asked, trying not to let his internal panic become external panic.  
  
 "Yeah..." Hinata kicked his feet slightly. "After the attack, Ms. Kiyoko patched you up, luckily I didn't, ahem, get rid of any major organs." He adverted his eyes once again. "So she was able to fix you up pretty easily, but uh, theres some more complications about that, but you don't need to worry about them." He clenched his fists on his pants, causing Tobio to panic slightly.  
  
 "The fuck is wrong with me?" He demanded. "What the fuck do you mean "complications"?!"  
  
 "J-Just a few things, it's nothing big, really. I'll tell you later, but it's best if you've calmed down a bit." Shit, that made him nervous. "Don't worry." The serious look in his face, and the genuine tone made Tobio relax a bit, and he sighed. He could live stressing over it for a moment, right now he was curious about many things, as long as he found out he would be satisfied.  
  
 "Fine, you can tell me after you've told me other things." He said, making Hinata nod.  
  
 "Are you hungry?" He asked, and Tobio frowned slightly. He wasn't, honestly, but he figured he probably would be.  
  
 "Y-yeah..." He told the shorter boy.  
  
 "Hm, good." Hinata stood up and walked to the kitchen. "I didn't know when you'd wake up, but I do have a pork bun from a few days ago."  
  
 "Gross."  
  
 "Still, it'd be easier to explain with that. Since you don't remember." He told him, making Tobio nod back, a bit nervous and extremely curious. "Anything you want to ask, still?"  
  
 "Natsu- is that... is that that girl?" He motioned to the hall, this caused Hinata to tense slightly, pursing his lips as he walked to the kitchen, still being able to speak with Tobio due to the open bar-looking area that separated the kitchen from the livingroom.  
  
 "Natsu is my little sister, yeah. She... Shes sick. To say the least." He admitted with a heavy sigh, rummaging around im the fridge. "She's been like that for a few months." He began, walking back into the room with a pork bun in hand that looked cold, making Tobio frown. Couldn't he have at least warmed it up? "I don't know why, but one day she suddenly started getting this pimple-like lump right here-" he pointed to his left cheek, right under his eye. "We though nothing of it, until it got bigger. As it got bigger, her kagune got weaker and she started having less control. I have no idea what's wrong with her, but its almost like a fungus, taking over her. Y'know? The one that controls ants and stuff?" He shrugged.  
  
 "I see." Tobio felt a bit bad for the poor girl, honestly.  
  
 "Yeah, eventually it started taking most of her nutrients and she's been unable to go a single day without eating like a human-" He cut himself off, apparently thinking Tobio sees it as sensitive for some reason. "Without eating three meals a day. I don't know what'll happen if she doesn't, but she gets too tired to even open her eyes if she doesn't so I can only assume it'll take everything. She's unable to hunt for herself, so I've been, uh, hunting for her almost every day." He told him, plopping down on the chair opposite of Tobio. "Because of you, I could only hunt for her as you already know, so she was super weak until recently. I've been able to hunt more." He seemed to realize what he said. "Ah- any more questions?" He quickly changed the topic.  
  
 "Why am I still alive?" This made Hinata frown, looking down.  
  
 "I don't actually like killing, I just do it. It's what I have to do, for Natsu. For myself." He sighed, leaning back and examining the pork bun. "What am I supposed to do? It's the only thing I can eat- I've tried to live off the already-dead but not enough people around this area commit suicide for me to keep up with Natsu's feeding schedule. It's surprisingly rare, at least around here. It's a peaceful little city, so that's not surprisingly." Hinata paused, placing the cold pork bun on the table. "It's not like I can eat normal food- it messes with my digestive system and it tastes like rotting fish." His face twisted into disgust.  
  
 "Oh..." Tobio couldn't find any words to say.  
  
 "I mean, I know it's bad to do it, but I have to. Wouldn't you to stay alive?" Tobio widened his eyes. Would he? Would he kill to survive? Tobio frowned, looking away slightly.  
  
 "No way." It was an obvious answer.  
  
 "But you might have to change that answer, sooner than you think." Hinata mumbled under his breath, but when Tobio was about to ask, Hinata perked up. "Any more questions?"  
  
 "You never actually answered my other one."  
  
 "I didn't kill you because I didn't want to! Isn't that good enough?" He pouted.  
  
 "No." It really wasn't, but Hinata didn't look ready to budge so he decided to come back to it.  
  
 "Are you related to Vulture?" Tobio asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wOW talk about shitty ahahahahahahah im not so certain about the current chapters tbh bUT OH WELL


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1000+ hits ahhh~
> 
> also ther eis a slight cliffhanger but thats more so because i didnt want to drag the chapter on into 4000+ words haAHh

"Vulture?" Hinata tilted his head in confusion, how cute. No wait redo, redo, backtrack that was not- "Oh." He seemed to realize what Tobio mean't. "Ah, No. Kind of? Not in a blood sense." Hinata said, twirling his thumbs awkwardly. "It's... pretty complicated... It's not something I'd really want to talk about." He put on his usual playful grin, wiping away the frown. "Maybe another time." He said apologetically. Tobio frowned but nodded nonetheless. "Anything else?"  
  
 "Ah..." Tobio thought for a moment. "Nothing major- but where am I?"  
  
 "My place, I'll tell you the location another time..." He said. "Just focus on recovering."  
  
 "Then, that's it. What we're you going to say before." Hinata pointed to the pork bun.  
  
 "That's a normal pork bun, inspect it if you'd like." Hinata offered, pushing the bun toward Tobio who reached down and took it. He found no reason to not believe Hinata, he hadn't exactly lied to Tobio, ever, and he had even saved him. Plus, there was just something about him that relaxed Tobio. He picked up the bun, eyes darting around it. Yup, normal. "Bought from Ukais- same time you had before. Now, remember how I said normal food tasted like rotting fish?" Wait- was this... He widened his eyes in realization, and Hinata seemed to understand. "That's what I mean by complications, go ahead."  
  
 He wasted no time in taking a hasty big of the bun, immediately gagging at the disgusting taste that filled him mouth, spitting it out instinctively as panic began to take over him. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! This isn't real, it can't be. All the calmness he had previously evaporated as he felt his heart clench, breathing quickening. Hinata froze, reaching out.  
  
 "Kageya-" Tobio stood up abruptly, the pain no more than a dull ache in the back of his mind as his vision twisted. No, no no! He staggered back, slapping Hinatas hand away as he struggled to stand.  
  
 "No, no! No! No! No!" He dropped the bun, eyes wide as he clenched his fists, struggling against the tears as he gripped his hair. "No! No! No! It's not true! It's not! False! Lies! Stop lying!" He shook his head wildly, hands clenching his hair over his ears. He wanted to scream, he felt tears beginning to pour out of his eyes, and saw the blurry movements of Hinata say something. "No! No! No!" He staggered back, choking back sobs as he turned and fled down the hall. Everything seemed to expand beyond him, avoiding him like the plague. Not even the walls wanted to be near something so disgusting.  
  
 He felt his throat tighten as he dashed into the room he had been in when he woke up, at the end of the hall. He slammed the door shut, leaning against it with panicked breaths, hyperventilating. His eyes darted around the dark room, looking for anything, anything at all, to calm himself. He had done this before, it would all be fine. Everything is fine. It's okay. Fine. Fine. Okay. Fine. Fine. He clenched his arms, burying his head in his arms as he struggled not to burst into tears that had already began leaking.  
  
 "Kageyama! Are you-"  
  
 "LEAVE ME ALONE!" He tightened his grip, breathing getting even quicker. "PLEASE!" He shouted, biting his lip so hard he was pretty sure any harder would leave him with blood dripping onto the floor, which would be a disgusting pain. No one would want to clean up something so gross, it came from him after all. Disgusting. Pathetically disgusting. He gritted his teeth, trying to slow down his breathing. He was shaking wildly, eyes clenched tightly shut, maybe if he kept them shut so tight for so long they'd be unable to open. He dug his nails into his elbows, not hearing the soft plod of feet walking away, but rather a sliding sound and a soft thud.  
  
 What was he doing? Was he going to mock him? That would make sense. It was a long silence, Tobio couldn't stand it. Hearing only his own quick breaths, and the slight choking sobs. His chest and throat hurt, and he imagined that would be what suffocation would feel like. He let out the occasional gasp, attempting to get some air. Had Hinata left? That would make sense, too. Why would he want to spend another second near someone so gross.  
  
 "I'm..." Shit he was still there? Why hadn't he said anything? Was he going to taunt Tobio now? Just get it over with. "I'm not very good at understanding what this feels like." Hinata began in a calm, relaxed tone. "Since I've always been a ghoul and stuff. But, like, also with the thing thats happening now." Tobio wanted to die, more than ever. More than when Oikawa showed up, more than when he saw his mother be eaten alive, more than anything. Maybe it'd be best, as bad luck seemed to haunt him. It'd spare the world of witnessing such a failure, anyway. "So I can't exactly understand or whatever." He was still talking, oh fuck. It's just a matter of minutes down.  
  
 "Go away, go away. go away." Tobio muttered, hoping the more he chanted it the more it'd work.  
  
 "I just think you should know, you're not alone." Tobio sniffled, feeling the wet tears roll down his face. Fuck. "And we'll try and help you get used to it- theres not really much I can do about it..." Tobio gripped his elbows even tighter, praying that maybe he could pull himself into a void. "But it was the only thing we could do, to save you."  
  
 "I'd rather be dead." Shit he hadn't meant to say that out loud, how pathetic. Why couldn't this have been hell- maybe it still was.  
  
 "I'd rather you not." Tobio stiffened. "I mean, I could have left you to do, or finished you off... But... I didn't." He heard a soft thud on the door. "So, that probably means you're still worthy." Tobio didn't speak or move, he didn't notice that his breathing and sobbing had dialed down to faint noises. "Please open the door?" Tobio didn't know why he moved away from the door, he hadn't wanted to. It was more of an impulsive thing. Hinata must have heard the shuffling, because the door slowly opened, revealing a crouching Hinata in the dim light. There was a second of silence between the two before Hinata crawled over, wrapping his arms around Tobio and pulling him in close, making Tobio stiffen even more, but he didn't pull away.  
  
 It took a moment, but soon Tobio loosened himself, gripping onto Hinata like he was a life line.  
  
 "You aren't alone." Tobio felt Hinata petting him soothingly, sniffling slightly into Hinatas shirt. Fuck, he probably ruined it. He heard the soft shushing, getting lost in the petting. How pathetic. "Theres Yachi, Kiyoko, and Tanaka, and Nishinoya, Asahi, Daichi, Suga, Yamaguchi, even Tsukishima. We're all there to help you." He pat Tobio on the back with his other hand. "Especially Yachi. She's the same." Tobio gripped tighter onto his shirt, a subtle hint to explain. Whether he got it or not was irrelevant, as he probably would have continued regardless. "Not exactly, as you're a tad different, but she is also like you. She used to be human."  
  
 It took about ten minutes of calming Tobio down, before Hinata finally pulled away. "Are you better now?" Tobio didn't answer, rubbing his eyes in shame. Honestly, how embarrassing. "Listen, you aren't like me." Hinata began again, hands still on Tobios shoulders. "You're not a full ghoul, that would be impossible. Probably?" He shook his head, not bothering to think about the possibility. "You're what Kiyoko called a 'Half-ghoul', and just what it implies, you're still humane." He explained. "I don't know too much about it, but Kiyoko does. We can ask her, whenever." He told him. Tobio suddenly remembered what Hinata had said.  
  
 "W-what did you mean... by I don't remember...?" Tobio asked, eyes focused on the ground. His voice was a little shaky, but he got control pretty quickly.  
  
 "During the time you were in a coma, you actually woke up a few times. Kind of. It was more a half-dead looking state, a daze." Hinata said, thinking back. "I explained what you were, and spoke a bit with you, kind of. You mostly just responded with incoherent mumbling. I thought you had broke, to be honest. I was a bit worried." Hinata sighed in relief. "But I'm glad you're not, this is far more human." He smiled, making Tobio feel a slight twinge in his heart. "You couldn't react to a thing, didn't even care when you ate. At least you're reacting now, and it's pretty understandable you'd react like, well, this." He pat Tobios head gently, like a lost and scared puppy.  
  
 Tobio didn't respond, remaining quiet as Hinata coaxed him to stand, following the boy. He rubbed his face, swallowing heavily.  
  
 "Are you tired?" A nod. "Do you want to sleep?" Another nod. "Okay, you can sleep in the bed." Hinata motioned to the bed behind him and Tobio glanced at it before turning back to Hinata. "If you need anything, just ask. I'll be in the living room. I have a bit of homework, we can talk more after." Tobio gave another nod, plopping down onto the bed and crawling into the sheets as Hinata exited the room, closing the door slightly behind him.  
  
Tobio violently pulled the sheets over his head. This whole day was pretty stupidly pathetic. Any normal person would have reacted by panicking after having seen the ghoul that nearly killed them, but Tobio hadn't reacted at all to any of it. It was just so... odd... It couldn't be real. It was just too fucking weird. He couldn't be a ghoul, there was no way. It just wasn't possible.  
  
Tobio took a gulp, closing his eyes and trying to force himself to sleep. Once he wakes up, everything will be normal. Oikawa will complain about the lack of food and how he was bored all day while Tobio attended school that  _didn't_  have a club infested with ghouls.  
  
  
Tobio woke up in a cold sweaty, frowning at how gross he felt. He lifted himself into a sitting position, reality setting in. It was real. It wasn't a dream. Everything had actually happened. Tobio gripped the sheets, staring blankly ahead at the darkness that covered the room in a thick blanket. He lowered his eyes at the sound of a drop, a tiny wet dot darkening the sheets more. A leak? He glanced up, frowning in realization when the leak wasn't from the roof.  
  
 He was just crying.  
  
 How pathetic.  
  
He rubbed his eyes furiously when the door opened slowly, looking up to see Hinatas face peering in. "Hey!" He grinned widely, waving slightly. "I have to leave soon, but I just wanted to tell you a few things." He said, lifting his fingers as he listed off his 'rules'. "One, don't leave. It's pretty dangerous- for you. Two, please talk to Natsu a bit, maybe? She's a little nervous, and even more jumpy because of what happened yesterday. I tried to tell her it was fine, but shes still nervous so..." He trailed off. "Three, if you get hungry, I doubt you will but if you do, theres some fresh, uh, meat in the fridge." Tobio just stared. "Lastly, do not answer the door no matter what." He paused. "No matter who or what it is- just ignore it. Don't even respond. For your safety." His serious aura disappeared as fast as it came. "I'll be going now, will you be alright?"  
  
 Hinata had seen Tobio in his weakest state, rendering him helpless to the smaller boy. How pathetic. Pathetic. Pathetic. Pathetic. It was disgusting.  
  
Tobio just stared at the bed sheets, unresponsive.  
  
 "I'll be back soon," Hinata consoled, turning and leaving the door open afar, letting in one of the soft rays of light from the hallway. Tobio heard the distant clicking of locks and a door shutting, before he was left alone in the house- save for Natsu. But he doubted she'd be walking around making a racket. He flopped back down on the bed, burrowing himself into the soft blankets. He just wanted to sleep. He was exhausted both mentally and physically- probably from his wounds still. Weren't disgusting ghouls like himself supposed to heal faster?  
  
He let out a heavy sigh, shutting his eyes tightly. Maybe if he shut them tightly enough they'd never open again.  
  
 Humiliating himself in from of Hinata coupled with the newly found realization he was apparently a ghoul was beginning to stress him out, and it didn't help he remembered his thoughts from last night.  
  
 Oikawa- not just Oikawa, the CCG as a whole. What the fuck was he supposed to do with that? He's been gone for three months- surely they would have found him by now? He lurched upward, leaping off the bed and panting heavily as he raced to the door, feeling weak. He needed to find a way to contact them- and he clearly didn't have his phone. He hadn't taken anything but his wallet three months ago, which Hinata had probably taken the money from and who knows what he did with his I.D.- he just gave thanks his CCG member card wasn't in there- if Hinata knew he was apart of the CCG then he surely would be dead meat.  
  
He attempted to pull the door open, disappointed when he found it was locked by various locks that all needed a key- a key he didn't have. Fuck. He moved to the nearest window, pulling open the curtains. The windows had metal bars running over eachother, barring it off. The glass was tainted white- making it near impossible to see outside, but he saw the blurs of greens- not a single other color- so he could only assume he wasn't in town. He backed away, eyes darting all around to examine for any ways to get out, finding none.  He flopped on the couch, burying his head in his knees. So Hinata had trapped him here- okay sure. He had said it was dangerous outside, meaning there might be other ghouls nearby or something, so he wanted to make sure Tobio didn't run off and get himself hurt.  
  
Sure, yeah. That made sense. Tobio sighed, lifting his head and gazing at the wall. There wasn't anything electrical, he noticed. No T.V., no computers, nothing. He could only assume Hinata didn't have a phone. Then again, how would he be able to afford those types of things. Tobio slowly rose to his feet, taking heavy steps as he wandered around a bit.  
  
 His feet led him to the front of the office. It had books, if Tobio recalled, he could just read a little or something. He opened the door, ignoring the slight creak as he peered in. He flicked on the light, walking to a bookcase and skimming over the many labeled spines of books. They were fairy tales and fictional books, mostly, but a few more closer to non-fiction as well. Some of them were informational books about plants, animals, and a few other things. Based on the dust, Tobio could only assume Hinata didn't touch them. He gazed around the room. The small desk was well-kept, matching the room. The blankets in the corner had been spread out as a ground bed, in the corner. That was the only messy area- blankets tossed and messy. It was such a jarring contrast to the perfectly-placed room.  
  
 Dust littered everywhere, on the books and desk. Even on the lamp. Tobio stared as he tried to assess the area, which was most likely the room that had belonged to Vulture, if they had lived with Hinata. He couldn't be positive, but based on how abandoned the room looked, how untouched, it was likely. He pulled a random book, gazing at the cover. It looked to be a collection of fairytales and folktales written to be far more gritty- ranging from Cinderella to Charlottes Web or The Hunchback of Notredam to The Golden Fish.  
  
Tobio left the room, flipping open the book to one of the many stories- allowing his eyes to skim the words and sentences. A few pictures sometimes laid within the pages, and though he was reading, Tobio could no comprehend anything. All the words seemed to mix together, blurring into meaninglessness, making Tobio give a heavy sigh and fall back onto the couch- closing his eyes. Maybe he could just sleep his life away.  
  
Ha, yeah right.  
  
His eyes flickered open, a moment later- seeing changing all around him. The room had gotten a tad darker, the crack in the curtain showing off the whited-out navy blue of what Tobio assumed was the sky. How long had he slept? He sat up slowly, feeling his head throbbing and his joints aching. He peered over the edge of the couch- catching sight of two people in the door way that looked familiar. Hinata was one, obviously. but the other seemed to be... was that Kiyoko? Tobio blinked slowly, seeing another small girl poke her head out from behind Kiyoko- looking awkward as ever. Yachi.  
  
 "...has he been doing?" Kiyoko was asking in her usual monotonous voice.  
  
 "Fine- he doesn't remember waking up before this though."  
  
 "But his other memories?"   
  
 "I haven't talked to him about that yet, he ended up being far too tired. But, everything seems to be fine." Hinata looked up, catching sight of Tobio who was peeking from behind the couch. "We can ask him now. Hi Kageyama!" Hinata waved with a bright grin, tempting Tobio to return the wave. He caught himself lifting his hand, forcing it back to his side before it ever came into view.  
  
 "Hello?" he asked, blinking slowly at Kiyoko and Yachi. Wait- Hinata had said something about others being ghouls as well- well not directly but, did that mean...? Kiyoko slipped into a pair of guest slippers, carrying a rather large bag.  
  
 "Did you tell him how it happened?" He asked, walking around to the front of the couch, Yachi and Hinata close behind.  
  
 "Uh, no."  
  
 "I see." She bent down, setting her bag down. "Hello, Mr. Kageyama." Tobio didn't respond, he felt like he couldn't. Was Kiyoko a...? "I have a few questions to ask, but firstly I just want to say that yes, I do know of your current situation." She stared at him, eyes blank but with a certain hint of emotion behind them that he couldn't place his finger on. "I know it all too well, as I was the one who saved you." She stated bluntly.  
  
 "What?"  
  
 "The details do not matter, what is important is that you know everyone in this room currently- we are the only ones who know." She motioned to Hinata and Yachi. "You are not to utter a word to anyone else. Do you understand?"  
  
 "Wh-what? Why?" Was the rest of the team not ghouls? That would put his mind at ease a little...  
  
 "You are not to mention your current situation at all. You are not allowed to leave this house without a supervisor- which can be either me or Mr. Hinata." She stood up, placing a hand on Yachis shoulder. "Yachi can help you understand everything you need to know about yourself, as she is also in the same situation." Tobio gave a short nod. Had Yachi also been human? Was she a ghoul now? "I will say it again- do not say a word to anyone else about this." She told him.  
  
 "Why....?"  
  
 "Because no else needs to know. One last thing-" She looked at Hinata. "Mr. Hinata did not clarify it- but you are not a ghoul."  
  
 "Huh?"  
  
 "You are what they call a Half-Ghoul, or a one-eyed ghoul. Just like Yachi." Yachi gave a brisk nod. "But it seems you are different than Yachi." She looked at the shorter girl, who was shifting on both her feet. "She took far less time to recover- only a month and a half. You've taken far longer, and you still aren't completely recovered. But you should be fine in a few days- as you just need to get your strength back. Maybe a week- at max. Since you still part ghoul." Tobio raked his brain, trying to take this all in. A half ghoul? He was only part ghoul? Yachi was as well? How did that work? "This implies that you have far slower regenerative abilities than what I would call normal- though your situation is far from 'normal'. I can only assume it is because your body is rejecting the R.C. cells." She lifted her eyes up from her bag which she had been rummaging through.  
 "I have no idea why- but your body is at war. It shouldn't be that much of a problem- just taking far slower to heal, which you don't need to worry about." She stood up, clipboard in hand.  
  
 "So... why are you all here? Couldn't Hinata have told me that?" He had to pry his eyes away from Kiyoko, she was just far too intimidating.  
  
 "Well, we're all going to help you!" It was Hinata that spoke up, grinning, nudging Yachi a bit. "Me and Yachi are going to help you get a hold of your kakugan, since you clearly don't have control over it." He pointed at his own eye, making Tobio widen his own and reach out instinctively.  
  
 "What?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the panic attack is based off the ones i get- as i usually use my experiences for reference for other things, but i cant explain my attacks very well so i tried my best????


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT what are paragraphs apparently??? anyway i went back over the older chapters and noticed that ao3 ruined my paragraphing sooo gonna fix that

Tobio frowned, eyes narrowed at the orange ball of excitement that waved a volleyball at him.

"Aw~ C'mon, Kageyama! Toss to me! Toss to me!"

"Weren't you the one who said I'm not allowed to leave the house?" He grumbled, making Hinata pout. Everyone knew, if Tobio refused to play his beloved volleyball, something was wrong. He did want to play, of course, but he couldn't focus on anything besides... well, himself. He was a ghoul now, what did that mean for his job at the C.C.G.? Was he just going to live his days hidden away in a house of his teammate? What about school? The rest of the team? It's been 3 months, so everyone probably thinks he just vanished.

"Well, I mean, Ms. Kiyoko did say I shouldn't since I can't know you won't run away..." Hinata trailed off, tucking the ball under his armpit. "But, I mean, you know you're a danger to others and others are a danger to you- as long as you don't know how to control yourself." The boy plopped himself right beside Tobio on the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. "I'm sure she won't mind if we just go into the backyard! Since it's winter break I can't play with the team!" He whined.

"School..." Tobio didn't even realized he had spoken until Hinata looked straight ahead with a slight sigh.

"You'll go back, eventually. I told the team and your teacher you got caught in a car accident and were in a coma- so take as much time as you need."

"What about my parents?" Tobio accused, knowing he didn't have any but still curious of how Hinata could possibly know. "My friends?" Another lie, Tobio never bothered to make friends in the short time he had been attending school. "Surely they'd want to visit me?"

"Ms. Kiyoko's dad is a doctor, remember? We simply got him to pretend you were under his care and to cover for us." He leaned back on the couch, letting himself sink into the plush cushions. "Also, according to Ms. Kiyoko's records, you don't live with your parents." He poked Tobio on the cheek, making the glaring boy swat him away. "Ms. Kiyoko may be skeptical, but I'm not. Even if you did try to run..." He paused, looking at Tobio with a dark look that made the tall boy shiver slightly. It was the same look from that night that Tobio could only describe as dangerous. "I could find you." He finished, rising to his feet in a grunt. "So let's play!"

He was back to normal, balancing the volleyball on his index finger, only to have it fall when he tried to twirl it. It landed on the ground and rolled away, Tobio's dark eyes watching it as Hinata chased after it. Tobio gave in with a sigh, rising to his feet. He shoved the sleeves of the shirt he was wearing, grateful that Hinata had clothes that were his size. He hadn't explained why, but Tobio only could assume it was a family members. He didn't inquire whos specifically, though. Hinata had seemed a bit off when he had handed a basket of the clothes to Tobio.

Hinata took notice of Tobio standing, eyes beginning to shine as he realized Tobio had finally agreed. No surprise, really, to Tobio. He was still curious of where he was, and even if he wasn't allowed to even go into the backyard without Hinata, he could at least get a look outside. He followed the bouncy ginger to the back of the house, casting a glance down the hall at the room where Natsu lay. It's been a few days since Tobio had awoken, but he has yet to speak to the young girl. He couldn't bring himself to.

Tobio watched as Hinata pulled open the dark brown door, unlocking it with a key he had hidden with his pocket. The latch opened and he exited, Tobio immediately followed with eyes taking in his surroundings. A large brown fence squared the wide yard, a small swingset stood off to the side, a sandbox placed over in the corner beside a coiled-up hose. A tree sapling was nearby the swings, bushes planted around it. Dead leaves were scattered around under a thin layer of frost.

"Okay we can't play, play, but we can like play!" Hinata told him, moving to the other side of the yard and waiting for Tobio to ready himself. Tobio gave a short nod, eyes scanning over the fence, what he could see. There didn't seem to be houses around, but rather just trees. He focused himself back on Hinata, who had tossed the ball toward him. Tobio bent down, receiving it with ease, no surprise there either. Volleyball was still engraved in his bones, like an instinct. It came far easier than anything else, aside from his quinque. He wielded that like a second limb.

Tobio watched the ball bounce off Hinatas wrists, him calling out a loud apology when it trailed off-course a bit, messy. Tobio followed the ball, watching it come straight for his forearms. Kiyoko had said he needed kagune training, but how would that even work? Would it be as natural as moving his arms or what? He couldn't imagine having another set of arms or legs to control, if it would even be like that. Maybe it'd be like trying to write with your opposite hand.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the ball hit him, far too close to the elbows, and bounced back up into his chin: causing him to bite his tongue with a hiss of pain. The ball rolled away and from the annoyingly loud laughter of Hinata, Tobio could hear the leaves and frost crunch under the freckled boys shoes as he hurried over. Tobio lifted his head, covering his mouth that throbbed painfully, as Hinata spoke, or tried to speak, through his giggling.

"Hehe~ Are you okay, Kage ~Heheheh~ Kageyama?" The boy asked, crouching down with Tobio who spoke through his hands, causing his voice to muffle.

"Do 'ah looph ophay!" Tobio spat, his words having a lisp because of his numbing tongue. Tobio widened his eyes as Hinata gently pulled his hands away from his mouth, gazing up at the raven haired boy.

"Ah, you're bleeding a little!" He frowned, concern written on his face. Tobio felt his skin prickle, leaping to his feet, accidentally hitting Hinata in the nose with his knee in the process. "Ow!" The boy shouted, falling back.

"Shit!" Tobio fell back down beside the boy, guilt settling heavy on his shoulders. "Why did you get so close, you we're in the way!" He muttered, worriedly, trying to help the boy up. Hinata took his offer, clinging to his arm and pulling himself up. Tobio felt his face heat up and he pried away after Hinata was stabled.

"Ah, it's fine." He pointed to his nose, wiping a bit of blood away. "I've got fast regeneration!" He gave a wide grin, the bright red bruise on his nose already gone. Tobio frowned, realizing that his tongue wasn't as painful as it had been. He had almost forgotten about the whole situation in those few moments. "If you're fine, let's get back to it." He gave a thumbs-up before turning and returning to his spot, snatching the ball on the way. "This time, don't hit the ball with your face!" He snickered, making Tobio scowl.

He gripped the front of his shirt, allowing his heartbeat to slow and ignoring the disappointment in his gut. He had no reason to be disappointed, so why was he? He shook his head, not bothering to think about it as he readied himself again.

He's just adjusting to this whole thing, still.

_____________

Tobio rose in his bed, rubbing his eyes and looking around the dark room. After returning in from their volleyball practice, Hinata had gone to bed right away, leaving Tobio who couldn't for the life of him sleep. He hadn't really slept for the past few days, either, so it wasn't shocking to him. He brought his knees to his chest, unable to stop the deep frown etched on his face.

He stared ahead at the desk at the other side of the room, then the bookshelves on each of the walls. He rose to his feet slowly, carefully stepping out of the room, eyes dancing across the darkness as he neared Hinatas room. He pushed the door open slowly, praying the boy didn't wait up from the soft creak, even though it was unlikely he would made an uneasy dread Tobio on edge.

He peered into the room, spotting the lump of the boy tucked under his sheet, soft snores filling the room. Ignoring the way his toes curled at the sight of the shorter boys bright orange hair, Tobio stepped to the desk, shuffling around cautiously with the papers.

He couldn't forget, he was a soldier of the C.C.G., and Hinata.... Hinata was a ghoul.

_____________

Shouyou sat up with a tired yawn, eyes gazing around the dark room. Though it was quite hard to see, he could still see the silhouettes of his furniture. He blinked in surprise upon noticing the door was hanging open a crack, kicking his feet off the bed and onto the floor. He stepped off, leaving the empty room. He wandered down the hall, stopping to gaze into the study where Kageyama was staying.

He honestly hated the idea of the precious room being disturbed, but there was no where else for the dark-eyed boy to stay. He peered into the room, seeing it lifeless, which was odd. He frowned as he stared at the messy sheets, seeing no human-shaped lump where it should be. It was far too late for Kageyama to be up, and Shouyou confirmed that he wasn't even in the house after a quick look at the living room. There was no way he found the basement, Shouyou had hidden the hatch under the couch: which was undisturbed.

He sped toward the kitchen, then the backyard. Maybe Kageyama had just gone outside to get some air, no that wouldn't be right. Shouyou had locked all the doors. Whirlling around to the front door, he dashed to it, taking a quick look at the locks. They were unlocked.

Shit.

_____________

Tobio coughed, struggling to breathe as the ghoul pinned him to the wall. The ghoul pulled off their mask, revealing a very annoyed face.

"Geez, are you really a ghoul?" They pouted, nails digging into the skin of Tobio's neck. "I mean, you healed all the lil' wounds I gave you, but this is just embarrassing." 

Tobio couldn't reply, clawing at the ghouls wrists to no avail. He still felt a bit weak from his "recovery," and his mind was jumbled: unable to focus. The ghoul lifted him up before tossing him onto the ground with a loud thud. 

"Pathetic, and here I thought you were actually going to be a good little battle." They crossed their arms, thick, red kagune wrapping itself around their leg. "With all the shit you were talking, but oh well." With a heavy sigh, the ghoul lifted their leg, and their kagune, before stomping down on Tobio's chest. Blood splattered everywhere, and the pain made Tobio hiss, but he refused to give this ghoul the satisfaction of a scream.

"Fuck... off..." He snarled, grabbing the ghouls leg. Maybe he should have just left after the ghoul said to get off their territory, but now his pride wouldn't let him... Neither would the kagune in his gut.

"Haha, I like your spunk!" They flashed a wide grin. "Hm, though, I've never heard of a ghoul who smells so good." They lowered their face, closer to Tobio, taking a long whiff. "Ahh, you almost smell like a human, but different. It's good, though. A compliment." They licked their lips, pressing into Tobios chest with all their weight, making him grunt. "How agonizing that I'm not all that hungry~" The ghoul pouted, reaching down and placing a hand on Tobios neck. "But I suppose I could consider you deser-" 

The ghoul didn't get to finish before they were leaping off Tobio, a small yelp escaping their lips. Tobio gripped his gut, which he could feel already healing a bit. It was a weird sensation. His eyes trailed over to the figure panting beside Tobio, those familiar honey colored eyes glaring hard at the ghoul.

"Boo~!" The ghoul pouted, looking away.

"What do you think you're doing? This is my territory, not yours!" Hinata snarled, stepping closer. With hands in the air, the ghoul rolled it's eyes from a few meters away.

"Well, I mean. It's mine now." They smirked, eyes narrowing. "Once I kill you, I mean."

"Kill me?" Hinata seemed quite surprised. "Why would you even want this area! No humans come around here." He never relaxed, ready for the ghoul to attack suddenly.

"That's exactly why, it's too much trouble dealing with bustling areas where the Doves watch over." A wave of dismissal. "What are you going to do about it? Sure, Byrd, you're fast, but speed can only get you so far when you have no power. You suck at everything besides jumping around like a scared frog." Once again, before Hinata could reply, someone else walked up behind the ghoul, grabbing their shirt and throwing them to the ground.

"Leave, now." The figure stepped into the light, revealing black and red eyes behind a pair of soft pink glasses. Black hair blowing slightly in the wind, making her look both graceful and threatening. The ghoul widened their eyes, retracting their kagune.

"A- uhm- y-yes. Sorry! I didn't know you were in the area, Miss Angel!" They scrambled past Tobio, disappearing into an alley way.

"Miss Angel?" Tobio found himself echoing.

"Ms. Kiyoko's ghoul name is Fallen Angel." Hinata informed him, crouching beside Tobio. "Nevermind that, I told you not to leave! I said it was dangerous!"

"Explain yourself." Was all Kiyoko said, stepping closer to the two with a glare so icy it rivaled Tobios'. It even made Hinata flinch slightly.

"I... I was just..." He frowned, adverting his own dark blues from hers, unable to meet her gaze. He gripped the ground as best he could with his cold hands, fingertips bright red and tingling from the thin frost. Hinata spoke up, telling Kiyoko to relax.

"Can we really blame him? He's been locked up for so long, then he's being told he's a monster." The boy said firmly, yet cautiously. Kiyoko's emotionless glare softened a tad, before she nodded.

"Very well, we will begin training tomorrow." This left both of the boys speechless, for different reasons, of course. "The faster you learn how to control yourself, the faster you can return to the outside world." She motioned at the trees surrounding them.

He was in a forest, presumably at the base of a mountain. There weren't any mountains that close to the town, aside from one which was about a 30 minute drive out. Meaning they were pretty far away. But not so far it was unknown to ghouls, apparently. Tobio had a general idea of where he was, but which way the town was, was still a mystery to him. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see Hinata standing up, offering a hand.

Taking the rather small hand in his own, larger, one, he rose to his feet with a soft grunt. "That will probably heal in a few days. Maybe. You're a weird one, with your regeneration and all." Hinata gave his smile, and Tobio felt an uneasy leap in his stomach that was both a nice and torturous feeling at the same time. He gripped his shirt, far too close to his wound for comfort, and clenched his fists. What the hell.

Tobio looked up, having not realized he was staring at his feet, and saw Hinata and Kiyoko heading back the way he (thinks he) came. He honestly was completely turned around, after that little bout with the ghoul. He also hadn't been paying all that much attention, choosing to run out of the house as soon as he found the key, leaving even his shoes behind. In just some dark blue pajama bottoms and a long sleeve shirt, that was honestly a bit too big, he had fled into the frost-ridden night. Not the best move.

His eyes trailed to the tree tops, catching sight of the grey sky between the leaves. Clouds left none of that soft blue tone that the sky usually was, a depressing grey instead. He took notice of the snowflakes that had started falling right before Hinata had shown up, but of course he hadn't paid attention to them. Back to the ground, he wiggled his toes in the frost, frowning at how blue they were getting. 

He looked back up, following the two that spoke in hushed tones about something, if Tobio's hearing was correct, it was about Hinata and how he shouldn't have run ahead upon seeing the ghoul. A brief lecture, that was just a 'don't do that,' before Kiyoko went quiet again: leaving the three to walk back in complete silence.

_____________

 

"Mr. Kageyama! Thank goodness you're okay!" Yachi hurried to the door once it opened, relief written all over her face which made Tobio want to scowl, based on her reaction he probably had.

"I'll get towels!" Hinata offered, dashing off before anyone could say anything more. Kiyoko shuffled off her shoes, slipping into a pair of slippers as she stepped into the house. Yachi stared up at Tobio, blinking slowly.

"What?" Tobio grumbled, eyes narrowed at her. She flinched slightly, looking down. Her eye patch was off, Tobio noticed, letting both of her caramel eyes wander the scene.

"Ah! Sorry, it's just, with the dew reflecting the light of the house," She reached up, touching one of his raven locks. "against your dark hair, it really looks like stars." She gave a pleasant smile. Tobio stared at her, a slight dance in his stomach. It wasn't the same motions as Hinata would give him, but it was definitely there. He didn't feel an urge to shove her away and pull her close like he did with Hinata, either. He frowned, scrunching up his eyebrows.

Upon realizing her actions, she leaped away: fear etched on her face. "S-Sorry! Sorry, Mr. Kageyama! I didn't, uh..." It was a certain disappointment from having her fear him, one that reminded him of something.

"It's fine..." He mumbled, trying to patch up the misunderstanding before it created more. Yachi seemed a bit relieved at this, making Tobio feel the same.

"You're right!" Tobio jumped slightly, flinching as Hinata offered him a towel. He hadn't noticed him. "It looks like the stars! How pretty!" He grinned, making Tobio flare up and stare at his feet. He snatched the towel, using it to cover his face as he began rubbing his hair to dry it. He opened one eye, catching Yachi staring at him with big eyes, surprise and realization.

"W-What?" Tobio demanded, making her flinch again. She just gave a soft smile, a tad more relaxed, and leaned closer, covering her mouth to whisper to him.

"You're bright red, was it cold?" She gave a knowing grin, and Tobio, in that momented, hated her. Not the hate of Oikawa, no, that was a mix of respect too. Neither was it the hate of others in general. It was closer to a... friendly hate? He shook his head, brushing past her briskly. Ah, yes. This feeling. It was definitely kinship. He remembered feeling the same way about someone on his classmate that had spoken to, and even introduced him to, volleyball back when he was just a child.

He couldn't both with friendship, and he couldn't forget. Everyone in this house was a ghoul.

That includes me, doesn't it?


End file.
